The Great Smokies
by KateJaneAusten
Summary: Picks up at the end of the finale, with some major plot changes tying back to Mr. Stone's visit to Cutter Gap. What decision will Christy make if she has been hiding a secret that will change everything? How will the people that mean the most to her in the world handle helping her through the biggest challenge she has faced yet? Pairings:David/Christy, Christy/Neil, Neil/Margaret
1. The Pain in the Truth

I looked back and forth between my two best friends. I knew that crying would scare the children, but at this moment, it's all I wanted to do. There was so much weighing on my decision; the fate of my life and many others. It was all too much, and my world started spinning. As I began to feel darkness encompassing me, I heard Neil and David both call out my name, and then everything was black.

Muffled shouting drew me from the depths of the darkness. I opened my eyes, wincing at the pain throbbing through my head, to see that I was in my room, safely tucked in my bed and in my warm nightgown. A lamp was lit across the room on my desk, casting a light glow across the room, battling the sun that was sinking below the mountain tops outside. The shouting captured my attention once again and I recognized Neil and David shouting, along with Miss Alice's occasional pleas to stop.

"You can't offer her what I can! You don't have faith in God!" David was saying. "Christy needs spiritual support as well as unconditional love, and I can give that to her."

Neil retorted with something I couldn't quite make out. This had to stop. I wouldn't have them fighting over me. It was ridiculous. I winced and moaned, pushing myself up. I must have fallen on something hard when I'd blacked out. I could feel the bruises on the right side of my body. I was pretty sure I'd hit my head too, with the way it was throbbing.

Shuffling over to the door and opening it, I stepped out into the hall to see Neil and David standing there, still shouting. Miss Alice was perched on the top step, watching them hopelessly. I wouldn't stand for this.

"Stop it!" I shouted, tears springing to my eyes. "Just stop! Please…"

Both men turned to me, their expressions turning to concern.

"Christy, you shouldn't be out of bed. You took a nasty fall and hit to your head," Neil was saying as he came toward me.

I stayed quiet, leaning weakly against the door frame. Neil picked me up off of my feet easily and carried me back to my bed, Alice and David right behind him. As he gently laid me back, he brushed my hair away from my forehead, looking at the knot there and frowning at it.

"That's a nasty bump. Grantland, would you have Ruby Mae get a cool cloth for her forehead? And maybe that tea…"

David looked reluctant to leave, but did as he was asked after Miss Alice gave him a pointed look. When he was gone, Alice looked to Neil.

"How does it look?"

Neil told me to look certain directions and then held the light closer to me, looking at my eyes. I winced and looked away.

"Alice, would you tell David to hurry with that cool cloth?"

Alice nodded and slipped from the room, with a concerned glance over her shoulder.

"Who finished class?" I ask, suddenly remembering the students I had left standing on the steps hours before.

"Rob Allen."

I nodded, knowing he had handled things well.

"Christy, how are you feeling?" Neil said, reaching up and running his fingers down the side of my face. "I should inspect you again."

Fear enveloped me. I was afraid he would discover my secret, and then there would be no going back.

"Go away," I said quietly, yanking back from his touch.

"Christy…"

"Go away, Neil! I don't want to see you."

Neil's face showed the sting of my words, but I didn't care. I needed him to get out before it was too late.

"Why don't you just go home to your wife and leave me alone?"

Neil swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly stood, thinking that Margaret was what was bothering me. "Christy… is there _anything_ I can do?"

I shook my head and turned away. "Please just leave me alone."

Neil nodded and retreated.

"And tell David I don't want to talk to him either… I just want Miss Alice, please."

The door closed with a loud bang, resonating Neil's anger all over the mission house. Then I burst into tears and cried into my pillow. I couldn't do anything right anymore.

Miss Alice came up a few minutes later and immediately hurried toward me, pulling me into her arms as I continued to sob. "Oh, Christy…"

I sat up and buried my face in Miss Alice's shoulder. I knew I had to tell her. "I…I have something to tell you."

"I'm listening…"

"When Mr. Stone visited… he… he…"

"What, Christy? What did Mr. Stone do?"

"When I was showing him around one afternoon, he took me into the old cave on the McHone's mountain and he _raped _me."

Miss Alice yanked back, sorrow covering every feature of her body. She too had gone through something similar with Margaret's father. "Christy? Why didn't thee tell anyone?"

"I was _so_ afraid. Oh, Miss Alice… I was so afraid."

Miss Alice hugged me tightly.

"Miss Alice….I'm going to have his baby."

Alice froze and then also started crying at the news, her hands going to my face and cradling it. I melted in her arms, desperately needing someone to hold me and Alice kissed the side of my head in a motherly way. "I'm so sorry, Christy. But thee has to believe that this happened for a reason. God's plan…"

"I know… but it hurts so much. My life is over."

"No, Christy… I felt that way when I found out I was expecting Margaret. But my life was only beginning, Christy."

I sighed. "Neither David or Neil will want me. No man will ever want me."

"I think they will fight over thee now, more than ever before."

I had to laugh. She pulled back and brushed away a few tears, smiling faintly.

"Miss Alice? Am I going to be okay? Am I going to be a good mother?"

Alice looked at me with motherly love and smoothed back my hair. "Thee will do fine, Miss Huddleston."

I smiled as Alice placed a kiss to my hair. How strange it was that I had more of a mother-daughter relationship with Miss Alice than my own mother. "When should I tell Neil and David?"

"That's up to thee to decide."

"Then I'm doing it now before I lose my courage."

I stood up, straightened my shoulders, and headed toward the door, Miss Alice right behind me. Neil and David were out on the porch having a quiet disagreement again. When they saw my pale face they both stopped and looked at me.

"Neil, David, I have something to tell you and I need to say it before I lose my nerve."

I felt a few tears slip down my face and David stepped toward me, wrapping his arm around me and leading me to a chair.

"What is it, Christy?" He was knelt in front of me, his hand holding mine.

I looked into his blue, loving eyes, and sighed. "Mr. Stone…"

"What about him?" Neil asked, his voice already gravelly at the name of the man that had caused so many problems.

"He… I was showing him around the McHone's and Timmons' mountain and he drug me into a cave and he raped me."

"He raped you!" Neil exploded.

"I tried to stop him, but he… he…"

"Oh…Christy…" David consoled pulling me close to him and hugging me as I cried. "Shh… It's alright."

Neil stood there, obviously fuming at the thought of me being raped by that disgusting, smug man.

"No….it isn't alright. David… I'm going to have a baby," I barely got it out without crying again. Miss Alice placed her hand to my shoulder in support as David yanked back and stared at me with wide, tear-filled eyes.

"Oh dear God…" David choked out.

"God? Your God allowed this to happen to her!" Neil boomed at David.

David stood and spun around to face him. "Do not speak to me about something you do not believe in!"

"Stop!" I shouted, tears coming harder as I stood to my feet. "Just please don't fight. I need both of you right now."

Both men turned toward me, apologizing as I shakily lowered my exhausted body into the chair again before I passed out. I looked down at my lap, not able to look at them.

"I apologize to both of you for not telling you sooner. I didn't know what to do… I was afraid."

Neil's fury was extremely evident. "That sick bastard…"

"Neil McNeil," Alice scolded. "Such language will not be tolerated at this mission."

Neil brooded and turned away, arms crossed in front of him as his eyes bore holes into the schoolhouse. I looked between both David and Neil, my world spinning again. I stumbled as I stood, feeling the need to get back inside and Alice wrapped her arm around my waist, holding me tightly.

"Thee are not well, Christy. Let's get thee back inside."

I weakly let the older woman lead me inside. She sat me in the rocker by the fire and both Neil and David came in, agreeing to have an adult conversation.

"Christy… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have allowed you two to be alone together. I never trusted him," David said.

"I don't want to dwell on the past, David. I have too much to think about now to think about what might have been changed."

"Do your parents know?"

"No. Mama will want me to come home, but I can't go back there…not when I know that Mr. Stone is in the same town. I can't risk him knowing about the baby."

David put his head in his hands and Neil paced the floor. Alice kept her eyes on me.

"So you're going to stay?" Neil asked. "You're going to stay here?"

I nodded. "Yes. I'm not going to leave the Cove."

"The conditions here for childbearing are…"

"I know, Neil."

"We will all do our best to provide the best environment for Christy that we can," Alice said.

"Christy… you should tell your parents," David said. "I'll talk to them if I have to, to convince them that you should stay here. But you should tell them."

"I agree with David," Miss Alice said.

"My mother will want to come."

"The Mission will accommodate both her and thy father," Miss Alice said.

"I wonder if your family doctor will come along this time," Neil mumbled from where he was poking around in the fire with the metal fire pick.

"Oh, I hope not," I said, scrunching up my nose at the thought. "I'll tell mother not to bring him."


	2. I'm Still Here

**The first chapter will be the only chapter written in Christy's POV. All of the others will be in Third POV. **

**For clarification, this story is only rated T because it deals with more mature subjects such as rape, and some mild language. I will always warn you before more intense themes pop-up in any of my chapters. This chapter is fairly safe. :)**

**Please enjoy, lovely readers, and leave a review! More Reviews = Happy writer = More Chapters.**

After dinner that night, Christy found David standing out on the porch, staring up at the stars. She stepped toward him, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders. She placed her hand on his back and he turned toward her, pulling her close. She noticed once again how perfectly she fit in his arms, and his head rested softly on top of her's.

"David, I know I didn't ever answer your proposal. But do you understand why I couldn't?"

"Yes," David said softly. "But you know I still want to put that ring on your finger. I still want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"But-the baby…"

"I know, and I want you to understand that I love _both_ of you. I wish I could tell you how much. You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love you."

Christy couldn't help but giggle at his last sentence. "You read Pride and Prejudice?"

"My sister made me. I knew it would come in handy some day."

"Do you mean it, David?"

"Yes. With everything I am. The question is, do you love me?"

She sighed and rested her head on his chest.

"Neil has always been the problem, hasn't he?" David asked.

"Yes."

"I told you that you had to choose between us. I didn't realize then how much you are dealing with. But Christy… Neil McNeil is not leaving this cove. And neither am I."

"You aren't?" Christy asked pulled back to look at him.

"No," David shook his head, looking out over the dark mountains. "When I first came here… this was just a stepping stone for me; a small step to something much bigger. But over time, these mountains do something to you."

"They capture your heart…" Christy added.

David smiled and nodded. "God called me here for a reason, Christy Huddleston. Just like he did when he called you here. For now, God wants me to stay. And I feel that I'm going to be here for a long time."

Christy studied him. "I feel the same way."

David looked back at her. "So we still have a problem."

"David… I wish I could tell you right now exactly what I want. What I need. But I can't. I can't think about anything clearly right now. My brain just feels so crazy and I can't make any important decisions when I need to the most."

"I know."

"I saw Neil and Margaret together today, David."

"What do you mean?" David asked.

"I saw her hugging Neil at his cabin earlier. He was holding her and he was crying. I wasn't expecting it and I hurried out of there as fast as I could."

"That's when Neil followed you…" David guessed and Christy nodded. "Do you love him, Christy?"

"No."

She answered so quickly, and without even thinking, that it surprised her.

"You don't?" David sounded confused.

"No."

"Then why has he always come between us?"

"Because he loves me. And I don't want to hurt him. He's been hurt so much in his life, David."

"Christy…" David whispered, pulling her close. "You're such a compassionate woman. It never ceases to amaze me how much you care about others."

"Sometimes I hate that part of myself."

"Why?"

"Because sometimes I wish I could just do something for myself."

David kissed the top of her head. "Christy…"

"Hmm?"

"I love you, darling."

She smiled up at him and he leaned down and kissed her.

"I'm going to keep the ring in my pocket. When you're ready, I want to put it on your finger."

She nodded, and then looked down quickly, hiding her face from him.

He reached for her chin and gently raised it so that she was looking at him again. He saw tears running down her cheeks, and he frowned.

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid."

"There is no need for that. I've got you, Christy. I'm not going to leave you."

"What will become of us, David? I'm going to have a baby. If we get married, we will start life off with a child."

"I don't care, Christy. I'll go anywhere and do anything for you as long as I am with you. We will be just fine. All three of us. I promise. We'll be more than fine. We'll be happy."

She nodded and he noticed she was shivering.

"Let's get you inside."

"Remember not to tell Ruby Mae," Christy said as he led her in.

David chuckled. "I know! You've only told me a hundred times."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just stressed."

David kissed her forehead.

"I think I'm going to head up to bed," Christy said as she and David stood in front of the stairs.

"Alright. Sweet dreams, Christy," David softly said, and then placed his hand on her stomach. "Sweet dreams, baby…"

Christy giggled. "David Grantland, I am convinced you are the sweetest man on the earth. But I don't think the baby can hear you yet."

She watched as he grinned and leaned toward her to kiss her goodnight and she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Oh Lordy!" Ruby Mae suddenly shrieked, appearing in the doorway.

Christy yanked back from David, backing into the banister. "Ruby Mae! Were you spying on us?"

"I'm sorry!"

David sighed. "How much did you hear?"

"You're having a BABY?" Ruby Mae asked.

Christy groaned and placed her hand over her forehead.

"Go on up to bed, Christy. I'll handle this," David instructed.

Christy nodded. "Thank you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

David watched her climb the stairs and then turned to Ruby Mae, putting his hand on her shoulder and directing her to the dining table where he told Ruby Mae about the rape and everything. After a string of "Oh Lordy," and "Poor Miz Christy," David had finally calmed the girl enough to send her to bed.

"Preacher…" Ruby Mae said, turning back to him a few steps up the stairs.

"Yes?"

"Is Miz Christy going to stay?"

David nodded. "Yes. She's not going to leave us."

Ruby Mae smiled. "Night."

"Goodnight, Ruby Mae," David smiled as she rushed up the steps and then he slipped out to the bunkhouse.


	3. Better Than I Used to Be

**Hello, lovely readers! Here is another chapter for you all! **

**Every great love story has a love triangle. Shall we expand upon that with the addition of the colorful, spirited and mysterious Margaret MacNeill? Yes, please, let's do!**

**Read and review!**

Neil sat at the table as Margaret moved around the room. She had changed to a simple outfit, suitable for the cabin, and was cleaning up the kitchen with more effort than she had ever tried to before. Neil dared to wonder what would have happened if they had always been like this. _What if she had just stayed? What if he had tried harder to keep her? What if he had looked beyond his own pain long enough to help heal her pain? What if they had loved each other like they had vowed to?_ She was about to lift the dish water and carry it outside when Neil set aside his pipe and stood.

"Let me do that," Neil said, putting his hand on her frail arm.

"Thanks, Mac," Margaret smiled.

He easily dumped the water and hung the pan back on the wall peg. When he turned around she was staring at him, the most sincere and deep look he had ever seen on her face.

"Mac… I'm sorry."

"What?" Neil choked. Margaret MacNeill never apologized for anything.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. Caused us. We could have worked if I had tried. But I was so stubborn. So stupid. And too blind to see what an amazing thing I had here _with you_."

Neil swallowed and shook his head. "I could apologize for the same thing."

Margaret smiled. "Mac, can we start over? I mean, do you still want to try this marriage thing with me?"

"Christy's pregnant," Neil suddenly announced.

"Excuse me?" Margaret paled, her tone sharpening.

"We had a visitor in the cove a couple of months ago. He….he raped Christy. She's pregnant."

"Oh God. I'm sorry, Neil. I know how much she means to you."

Neil nodded and looked down.

"Is she okay?" Margaret asked.

Neil noticed how genuinely concerned Margaret sounded. "I don't know. I haven't done a check-up or anything yet."

Margaret nodded and bit her lip. "Mac… do you love her?"

Neil sighed and looked up at her. "I don't know."

Margaret noticeably had tears filling her eyes up.

"I'm married to you," Neil said.

"I left you."

"You came back."

"Do you still love me?"

"I thought I didn't. I told Christy I had finally moved on. But now… now I realize that I haven't."

"You have to choose between us, Mac."

"I know."

Silence.

"She should marry him," Neil stated.

"The preacher?" Margaret asked.

"Yes."

"I told her that yesterday."

"You did?"

Margaret nodded. "At the teahouse."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she knows."

"He's a better man."

"For her maybe…" Margaret said, looking him straight in the eye. "_You're_ perfect for _me_."

Neil abruptly changed the subject. "I'll take the cot down here if you want the bed."

Margaret smiled. "Thanks."

"I put your things away in here," Neil said, heading to unlock the laboratory.

She wanted to follow, but noticed how he guarded the door with his body as she followed. "Still won't let me in?"

He turned toward her with a pained expression. "Margaret…"

She moved closer, so that they could both feel each other's breath on their faces. "You never did trust me enough."

"It's not that I didn't trust you. I just…"

"I didn't respect your research, Mac. I understand. But tell me one thing. Has Christy been in here?"

He sighed. "Yes. But only because I needed her help. Once your mother was sick and she had to break in for medicine, and another time Becky O'Teale had trachoma..."

"Did it work?" Margaret interrupted quickly.

"Did what work?"

"Your experiment…with Becky's eyes."

Neil was surprised she cared. "Yes."

She smiled, her eyes lighting up. "Good for you, Mac. I knew you'd do it someday."

She respectfully stepped away to allow him to go retrieve her things. He came back with a trunk and she followed him as he carried it upstairs to the bedroom. It had been so long since she had been in this room, the emotions of it all nearly knocked her off her feet. She sat on the edge of the made bed and scanned the well-kept room with her eyes. So many things had happened in this room; their first night together in the Cove and their last, and the loss of their first child, only three months after conception. Even her nosy mother hadn't known about the baby. She and Neil had dealt with the loss on their own, and each in different ways. It may have been their last straw.

Margaret let her eyes land on the strong man before her as he gathered his things to take downstairs. She vividly remembered how he had stayed by her side all through that terrible night. He had very tightly held her hand, trying desperately to comfort her through the pain. When at last it was all over, he had held her as they both sobbed. It was the last night she had ever let him hold her like that. It was the last night she had ever told him she loved him. Three months later she had faked her own death, no longer able to bear his concern or his declarations of love. No longer able to bear the pain of him telling her he was sorry that he couldn't save the baby.

Neil noticed her eyes on him, and looked up at her as he grabbed a pillow from the bed. "What?"

Margaret snapped out of her daze. "Nothing. Just reminiscing I guess."

He slowly nodded and broke away from her gaze. "Goodnight."

"Night, Mac."

He closed the door behind him and she made her way to the trunk. Opening it, she saw her purple dress on top and a smile and gasp left her. Digging further through, she found a nightgown and began her preparations for bed, closing the chest and the memories it had in it.

* * *

><p>Neil awoke to screaming coming from over his head. Trying to figure out what was going on, he laid there until he heard it again. Realizing it was Margaret, he rushed up the stairs and into the bedroom. She was still asleep, but tossing wildly in the bed. He hurried to her and gently shook her.<p>

"Margaret…" Neil said softly.

She jumped and woke up, reaching for the blanket to cover herself. Neil wondered for a half-second why she was worried about covering herself up when only a day ago she had been dancing in a tea-house in her undergarments in front of a room full of men.

"You were having a nightmare…" Neil said, explaining his presence. "I had to wake you."

She placed her palm to her forehead. "I'm sorry I woke you, Mac. You need your sleep."

"Never mind that, I'm more worried about you."

"It's the medicine I've been taking for the tuberculosis. It makes me have nightmares."

"What have you been taking?"

She moaned. "I can't remember what it's called… it's on the dresser."

Neil moved to the dresser and read the medicine bottle in the moonlight. "Has it been helping?"

"Yes. But the nightmares…"

Neil moved back toward her. "Are you alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"They give that medicine to tuberculosis patients either when treatment was successful and it's the final treatment or it's a last effort for unsuccessful treatment."

"Treatment was successful. I wouldn't have come back and risked infecting everyone if I still had it, Mac. It was selfish to come the first time."

He released a breath of air. "So when the pills are gone, it's over."

"Yes. And it's about time, really. Treatment was like going through hell and back. I'm looking forward to putting this behind me."

Neil placed the bottle back on the dresser. "That's good."

She nodded. "Mac…would you mind sleeping in here? It helps with the nightmares if I'm not alone."

Neil was silent for a moment, and she desperately wished she could see through his very well-practiced poker face. "Let me get my pillow."

When he came back, she had moved over to the side she had always slept on. He slipped in beside her, noticing the distance between them. Silence ensued for a while before Neil broke it.

"Are you going to stay this time or are you going to leave me?" His voice was full of emotion.

Margaret moved toward him, snuggling into his side. She soaked up his warmth, though he had tensed at her presence. "I'll stay if you want me, Mac. I promise."

He slowly softened and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He didn't say anything, and she knew thoughts of Christy were still plaguing him, but she hoped someday she would once again have his heart.


	4. Heartbeat

**Sorry this is so short! I will try to get another chapter up this weekend. Read and review!**

"Ruby Mae?" David asked, stepping into the kitchen. "Where is Miss Alice?"

"She had to leave earlier. Someone over in Raven Gap needed her."

"Oh…" David looked around. "Is Christy up yet?"

Ruby Mae looked at him and shook her head. "No. I wanted to go check on her, but I'm afraid she's still angry with me for eavesdropping last night."

David put his hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, Ruby Mae. I'll wake her."

Neil suddenly appeared in the open doorway, medical bag in hand. "I thought I'd give Christy and that baby a quick check-up before school if she doesn't mind. Where is she?"

"I was just about to go wake her," David informed him.

David took the steps two at a time until he reached Christy's door, aware that Neil was a few steps behind him. Knocking softly, he heard nothing so he slowly turned the knob and opened the door.

"Christy?"

She was still asleep, curled up tightly beneath the blankets. David smiled and moved toward her. He leaned down and pressed his lips gently to her's. She moaned and stirred, opening her eyes and smiling.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," David teased softly.

"Hi…" Christy breathed out.

David stroked her hair out of her face. "Neil's here to check on you before school."

She looked past David to where Neil was standing at the foot of her bed, watching them with an unidentifiable look on his face.

"Morning, Christy."

"Good morning."

"I'll leave you if that's alright. Ruby Mae has breakfast when you're ready," David told her.

"Thanks, David."

"Love you," David whispered, kissing the top of her head before disappearing.

Neil opened his medical bag as Christy sat up in bed, hugging herself self-consciously. "Since when does the preacher wake you up with a kiss?"

Christy avoided his question, answering it with another. "Did Margaret stay with you last night?"

"Alright, fair enough…" Neil shrugged. "No more questions about that."

Christy nodded, satisfied that she wouldn't be asked to analyze her heart this early in the morning. "What do I need to do?"

"Just lay back," Neil said, moving toward her. She complied and he reached down and pressed his fingers gently into her stomach.

She moaned.

"Does that hurt?"

"No. It's just uncomfortable."

Neil took her hand and placed it over her stomach. "Do you feel that firmness?"

Christy nodded.

"That is the baby in there, already growing."

"It was twelve weeks ago…" Christy informed him.

Neil nodded. "When was your last cycle?"

Christy blushed. "Umm… two weeks before that I think."

"You're thirteen to fourteen weeks along then," Neil said.

"Shouldn't I be bigger by now?" Christy asked in concern.

"Not necessarily. This is your first time."

Christy nodded as Neil put on his stethoscope. He pressed it to her abdomen, moving it around until he heard the baby's heartbeat. He smiled and listened for a minute, catching Christy's eyes in his. She saw his face, and looked intrigued.

"Miss Huddleston, would you like to hear your baby's heartbeat?" Neil asked.

She nodded and he helped her put the stethoscope in her ears, using one hand to hold the other part to her abdomen. She frowned at first and he moved it slightly, watching her face light up. Tears started forming in her eyes.

"That's the most amazing thing I've ever heard," She whispered, as she handed the stethoscope back to him.

He smiled and nodded. "Yes. I know the feeling."

"Neil… You and Margaret lost a baby didn't you?" Christy guessed, sadly.

Neil sighed and nodded, sitting on the bed beside her. "Yes. But it was a long time ago, Christy."

"But it still hurts doesn't it?"

"Yes. Especially when I'm around her, and I remember that pain all over again. That was one of the worst nights of my life."

"I'm sorry, Neil…"

Christy desperately wanted to hug him, but she didn't want to hurt her dear friend anymore.

"I'll leave so you can get ready for school. Everything seems to be fine. Morning sickness is normal, but if you feel anything out of the ordinary, send for me right away if Miss Alice isn't here."

"I will. Thank you, Neil."

Neil disappeared out the door faster than she'd ever seen him go before. She hurried through her morning preparations, fighting off the morning sickness that had been bothering her so much lately. When she came downstairs, David noticed her smile.

"I heard the baby's heartbeat!" Christy announced as he pulled out her chair for her.

"Really?" David asked.

"Yes. Dr. MacNeill says everything seems to be fine."

"Good. I'm glad, Christy."

They held hands and prayed just before Ruby Mae brought in the food. Christy's stomach lurched at the eggs being placed in front of her and she hurriedly rushed from the room, David standing and watching with concern. He followed her outside to where she was throwing up behind a tree.

"Christy?" David asked, touching her back.

When she finished, she straightened and David wrapped his arm around her, holding her firmly against him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. It's just morning sickness. I'm not very hungry."

"This baby is going to give you a hard time isn't it?"

"Probably."

"Let's hope not." David placed his lips to her temple before leading her back inside.


	5. Keep You

**Please R&R lovely readers! Longest chapter yet!**

Saturday afternoon, Margaret crept out of the house and down to the creek where Neil had been patiently fishing for several hours. He heard her stepping up behind him and looked over his shoulder at her. She was standing there, watching the water moving over the rocks. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and her long black curls hung loosely about her shoulders. He swallowed and attempted to slow his racing heart. She looked like a vision out of one of his dreams. She was absolutely lovely as she stood there on the edge of the stream, and he remembered full well how he had fallen in love with her so hard and so fast.

"You've been out here a while," Margaret commented. "Any luck?"

"Not yet. But I keep waiting, thinking the perfect one is going to come along. It's probably swam past me several times, but just hasn't decided to commit to biting yet."

She chewed on her lip, not responding to him.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked her curiously.

"That I don't understand how I could have done such a terrible thing to you, in your favorite place."

He looked down at the water moving swiftly past his feet. The drowning, or faked one, as he had later learned, had haunted him less and less each time he had made himself come out here.

"Margaret, we can't keep reliving the past if we're going to have a future," He told her softly.

She quickly looked up at him. "Do we have a future? Together?"

"I don't know. I don't know if anything is ever going to happen for us again, but I'm also not going to say that it never can. Christy has told me over and over that I should allow myself to be happy again…" He paused and looked out over the water. "I have to try."

"But do you want to try with me, Mac?"

He fell silent.

"I know you love her, Neil," She whispered.

He looked up at her quickly.

"Don't deny it. She's everything you're not, and you're intrigued. You feel alive when you're with her, and with me you've always felt dead."

"Not always," He interjected.

She smiled and looked down, leaning up onto her toes before letting herself back down. "No, not always."

Silence fell over them and she began to walk along the edge of the water, looking around. "What happened to the swing you hung up for me out here?"

"The ropes rotted and it fell down," Neil explained.

"Would you build me another one?" She asked. "I loved that swing. When you were gone for hours on end, I'd come out here and swing for hours over the water without a care in the world."

He studied her for a moment. She was putting down yet another root, and he was beginning to believe she would actually stay this time.

"If you want one," he consented.

She smiled. "Thanks, Mac. I was also thinking that we should go to church tomorrow."

"Oh?" Neil asked in shock. "Why?"

"Mother and I…we had the worst argument we've ever had the other night. Normally, I'd run after that, but I just…I couldn't this time. I couldn't leave. I knew that if I did, I'd never come back this time, and that scared me. Not coming back here, to you, to mother…"She took a shaky breath, fighting tears. "For the first time in my life, I actually want to stay somewhere and to belong. Even if you and I don't work, I have to fix things with Mother, and loving these people might be the only way to do it. Even if I am reaccepted in the Cove, I doubt Mother and l will ever mend, but I've got to try."

"It sounds like we both have a lot of trying to do," Neil commented.

Margaret nodded. "I've been so wrong about so many things. I want to do something right."

"I'll take you to church tomorrow if that is what you want."

"It is," she told him.

Suddenly, Neil felt a tug on his line and he grinned and began to pull the fish out of the water. Margaret giggled and rushed into the water to help.

"It's a nice sized one!" Neil told her as the fish surfaced on the water and flopped around.

"Look at it, Mac!" She laughed. "That's one of the best you've ever caught! I guess the perfect one finally decided it was going to let you keep it."

Margaret fearlessly scooped up the fish. She placed it on the string on the bank and as it continued to flop around, she grinned with pride and looked up at him. He had moved to just about a foot away from her. Her breath caught in her throat as she found him staring at her, eyes glazed over, a light smile on his features.

"This will make a wonderful dinner for two if you cook it the way you always used to," Neil said, his voice just above a whisper.

She nodded as his free hand reached out and took one of her curls in his fingers. He twirled her hair around his fingers, his eyes glued on her face. She bit her lip in anticipation and it sent him over the edge. He placed his hands around her tiny waist and pulled her against him, his lips tangling with hers. The kiss left both of them breathless, and they pulled back in shock.

"I'm sorry," Neil apologized, though he did not let go.

"Mac…there is no need to apologize for a husband kissing his wife," She teased, her eyes filled with merriment.

He smiled at her slowly and then looked to the fish which had finally given up on escaping. "What do you say we fry this fish and enjoy a dinner together?"

"Sounds like the perfect idea," She said, bending and picking up the fish. "Come along, husband. I will find something for you to do to help."

"I'm sure that you will," Neil teased, as he followed along behind her to the cabin.

* * *

><p>David's sermon Sunday morning was about the commitments of marriage and the roles of husband and wife. He had been a little nervous about continuing with this topic following the tea house incident, and had practiced it for Christy, who had offered encouragement and advice. But the biggest concern that morning was one that none of them saw coming.<p>

The first surprise that morning was, seeing Neil MacNeill walk toward that building in his Sunday best, with his wife Margaret strapped to his side. She looked prettier than ever, and Christy couldn't help but stare as she and Fairlight's conversation halted in the schoolyard, to watch the couple head up the stairs. David stepped out onto the steps and practically fell over at the sight of the couple standing before him on the stairs. Quickly recovering, David shook Neil's hand and greeted Margaret normally, sending the people back to a since of normalcy as David rang the bell. However quite a few curious glances were cast at the couple when Neil and Margaret sat together at the back.

David was fifteen minutes into his sermon, speaking on the significance of holy matrimony when Ault Allen stood at the back of the room.

"He's a lyin' hypocrite!" Ault shouted, making people jump and waking the little ones from their sleep. Everyone turned to Ault, and David froze. Neil and Margaret looked around, trying to figure out if this was a Sunday normalcy.

"Ault, what are you talking about?" David asked, wearily.

"I heard you! I heard you and the teacher talkin' outside the mission house the other mornin' about the baby she's expectin'."

Christy paled and sunk lower in her seat as everyone gasped and turned to her with looks of disapproval. Fairlight even, pulled slightly away from her spot next to Christy. Christy raised her tear-filled eyes to meet David's.

"I…" David couldn't find the words. This was unexpected, and he had no idea how to handle it. If only Alice was here to help.

"Is it true Miss Huddleston?" Uncle Bogg asked. "Are ye expectin'?"

Christy closed her eyes, a tear slipping out, and nodded. The room grew so quiet, that you could have heard a pin drop. Christy stood slowly and hurried from the building, noticing that the only men who stood at her exit out of courtesy were Jeb Spencer and Neil MacNeill.

"Christy!" David called after her.

She kept going, and when she reached the bottom of the steps, she took off on a run.

"I'll go," Margaret whispered to Neil, before standing and hurrying after Christy.

As David admonished and yelled at the congregation, explaining their mistake to them, Margaret found Christy sitting by a tree, crying loudly and trying to catch her breath. Margaret moved toward her carefully.

"Christy…" Margaret said, sitting beside her.

"Did Neil tell you?"

"Yes," Margaret nodded. "I'm sorry."

"This is exactly why I kept quiet about all of this in the first place."

Christy's tears continued and she leaned into Margaret's offered embrace.

"I noticed that you're showing a little bit…" Margaret said, trying to make the subject lighter. Christy responded with a louder sob. "Christy, David will mend it. Everything will be alright. These people are just so quick to judge. I remember mother telling me a Bible story once about a plank in a person's eye or something like that. I think your Reverend Grantland could preach that message every Sunday, and they still wouldn't understand."

Christy shook her head. "Not all of them are like that…"

Margaret shrugged with a small smile. "No, I suppose not. But it sometimes feels that way, doesn't it?"

Christy nodded, backing away. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Why did you come help me?"

Margaret sighed. "I'm trying to change, Christy. I've spent my whole life being concerned about myself, that I hurt so many people around me. I'm trying to not do that anymore. I admire you, Christy."

Christy smiled. "Thank you. Neil's fortunate to have you back."

"Oh, he most certainly is," Margaret teased. "I made him a wonderful fish dinner last night."

Christy laughed and Margaret joined her.

"Now here is a sight I never thought I would see."

Margaret and Christy both looked up to see Neil standing in front of them.

"What's that?" Margaret asked.

"The two of you getting along."

"People can change, Mac," Margaret informed him.

Christy noticed the way they held each other's eyes. So much more was being communicated between the two of them in that moment than Christy could see. Neil then turned toward Christy.

"Are you alright, Christy?"

Christy nodded.

"David's clearing this mess up as best as he can, but Ault Allen managed to get his family and several others out the door before he had a chance."

"This is the second time they're going to falsely accuse me of having an affair. Now they're accusing David too," Christy said, sinking back into her glum mood.

Neil nodded, thinking back to the first time. He stood and lent Margaret his hand, pulling her effortlessly up, before handing Christy his handkerchief. After she had dried her tears, Neil pulled her to her feet as well. "Let's get you both back. Neither of you are in the condition to be sitting out here in the cold, damp air without coats. Especially you, Christy Huddleston."

"Mac, be nice to her," Margaret admonished as she stood watching, arms crossed.

Neil chuckled. "My apologizes, Christy."

"No, you're right," Christy sighed.

"Oh, don't tell him that," Margaret exclaimed from behind them. "He'll gloat about it for hours."

"Margaret…I'm not that terrible," Neil argued

"Yes, Mac, you are."

Christy sighed as the three of them walked back toward the school. She might be forced to leave the cove after all and that thought broke her heart. She placed her hand over her expanding abdomen. She loved this baby…but the problems it was causing were painful.

When they reached the mission yard again, everyone was gone and David was coming down the school steps. When he saw them, he ran toward them.

"Christy, are you alright?"

Christy nodded and reached for him. She was quickly pulled into David's arms. Christy cried into David's neck quietly.

"Shh…don't cry, love," David whispered as he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her into the house and to the living room. Neil and Margaret followed behind them.

"Do you know when Mother will be back?" Margaret asked as they all were in the living area, Christy and David on the loveseat, Margaret in the rocking chair and Neil standing before the fire, leaning on the mantle. He appeared to be a thousand miles away as he mindlessly watched Margaret rock back and forth in the chair.

"No," David responded. "Not for sure. She should return by the end of the week, but when she hears of this, she'll likely return early to help clear everything up before the church falls apart."

"David… I'm sorry. You're reputation," Christy breathed out.

David shook his head, stroking her face. "Don't worry about that. We have the Spencer's and McHone's on our side this time. We'll be alright."

"This isn't the first time that a false scandal like this has happened," Neil reminded both of them, returning suddenly from his thoughts. "The truth will come out and everything will die down."

Christy nodded, although all she wanted to do was give up, cuddle into David and let him hold her. She knew it would be inappropriate, especially with Miss Alice gone. Neil and Margaret left, denying the offer for lunch, and Ruby Mae brought in hot tea, blabbering on about the drama that had just unfolded. When she left the room, David sighed heavily.

"It's my fault, Christy. I should have been more careful in what I said."

"They were going to find out eventually," Christy sighed. "I knew there would be speculation. The girls in class have already started to notice that I'm showing. I'm sure it wouldn't have been long before others did too."

"But it could have been so different, Christy. And I'm sorry."

"It was not your fault, David."

"When you ran out of that schoolhouse earlier, part of me feared I'd lost you forever."

"David, I'm not going to leave."

David leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Christy Huddleston."

**Next chapter will include a much needed conversation between Neil and Christy.**


	6. Who We Love

**Here's another chapter! I will update again toward the end of the week! Read and review!**

Margaret noticed Neil's quietness as he sat by the fire, smoking his pipe and staring at the flames, late Sunday night. The room was dark, other than the firelight. She came up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Neil?" Margaret asked softly. "Neil, are you alright, darling?"

He sighed heavily. Margaret moved around and knelt in front of him, her hands on his knees.

"Neil MacNeill, what is bothering you _now_?"

"You make it sound as if I'm always bothered."

"Aren't you?"

Neil soaked in her face and reached out, his fingers capturing one of her long black curls. "No… no, sometimes I am perfectly content."

Margaret smiled. "Somehow I doubt that now is one of those times. You're thinking about _her_ again."

"I'm trying not to, Margaret. She made it very clear this week who she cares for…maybe even loves."

"I know, Mac. And I'm trying to be patient with you. But Christy's gone. She's with David now. Neil, I'm here. Your wife."

"You gave me back my ring," Neil reminded her.

"I would love to put it back on, Mac, if you want me too."

Neil leaned toward her. "I need time."

She nodded. "You're worth waiting for, Mac. I only wish I had known that all along."

Margaret stood, preparing to go upstairs and give him space, but he reached for her hand to stop her. She settled onto his lap instead. She half expected him to complain and order her away, but he continued to run his fingers through her hair. She eventually moved so that her head was resting on his shoulder. She was drifting off to sleep when she was quite certain she heard him call her what he used to… Angel.

(Neil's POV)

I don't know how long I sat there, holding her in my arms. She was back, and it hadn't quite sunk in yet. She was so different, and in just a week. I knew she and Christy had talked, and there had also been the fight, or whatever it was we had had in the El Pano Tea-house, but this drastic change was unbelievable. Something was at work here that I did not yet understand.

Margaret moaned and moved slightly before once again snuggling back into me. For the first time in a long time, I actually was considering the fact that I still loved her. Maybe, even though she had hurt me so much, I never had stopped loving her. I remember the devastation I felt when I had realized she was gone the first time. The second time, I had felt betrayed. And from then on, I was just angry. My anger had made me push her to the back of my mind, and I lied to myself, and Christy, saying that I had finally forgotten her. But I was wrong. I could never forget Margaret MacNeill. This woman had something on me, and I couldn't make it leave, even if I wanted it to.

"Mac…" She moaned.

I tensed. I wasn't sure if she was awake or dreaming.

"Mac, help me…" Margaret gasped.

"Margaret…" I whispered into her hair. "Margaret, I'm here."

"The baby…" She moaned. "Help me…"

I bit my lip. She was dreaming about that terrible night, several years ago. The night we had lost the thing that had been so important to us; our baby.

Moving, so that I was sitting up more, I cradled her more tightly in my arms. "Margaret… wake up…"

She moaned again.

"C'mon, love…" I said, rubbing her arm. "Wake up."

She suddenly screamed and I jumped a foot in shock.

"Margaret!" I shook her harder and she finally opened her eyes.

As soon as she saw me holding her, she clung tighter to me, crying into my neck. "Oh…Mac."

"Shh…It's alright. It was just a dream."

"I just want them to stop. Every night, I relive it. The worst night of my life, and I keep going through it again and again."

My heart broke for her. I had done everything I could to forget that night, and I hadn't gone through half of what she had. "Shh… they'll go away someday."

She suddenly sat up and looked at me. "Mac, I want another baby."

"Margaret, I…"

"I know. We can't right now… but if you ever love me again, I want to give you a baby. I failed once, but I won't let myself do it again. I won't fail you again, Mac."

I didn't know what to say, so I pulled her close again so she couldn't see me. So she couldn't see the tear that fell down my face.

* * *

><p>Neil walked into the schoolhouse Monday afternoon to find Christy vigorously scrubbing the blackboard. She was wringing the washcloth out over the bucket of murky water when he stepped up behind her and took the cloth from her hand. She let out a surprised yelp.<p>

"Easily startled there, Christy?" Neil asked with a smile.

"I was deep in my thoughts, I suppose. I didn't even hear you."

"Well you were certainly attacking this blackboard with the washcloth," Neil commented. "May I?"

She nodded and moved out of his way, leaning on her desk as he began to scrub the blackboard. Christy let out an audible sigh, and Neil glanced at her over his shoulder.

"What's bothering you, lass?" He asked.

"Only the Spencer children attended today," Christy said. "Fairlight brought them and she visited with me for a while. We discussed everything, and she was an incredible friend, as always. But she couldn't make any promises about the others returning."

"What happened to the McHones?" Neil asked. "I thought David said they would be here."

"Apparently Ault visited them last night and persuaded them otherwise."

"I see," Neil said, placing the washcloth back in the water. He leaned on the desk next to her. "This is a very difficult situation."

"Have you heard the things they're saying about me? And about David?" Christy asked. "It's awful, Neil."

"And none of it is true," Neil reminded her.

"No! None of it, Neil!" Christy exploded. "After everything I have done here, all they can call me is a liar, a hypocrite…Fairlight wouldn't even repeat some of the things she's overheard. I don't understand. It isn't fair!"

"No, it's not fair, Christy. But have you ever encountered anything in this cove that is fair?" Neil questioned. "Nothing about Cutter Gap is fair, and you know that. You knew that the moment you stepped foot in this place. Accidents happening, Mountie refusing to talk, Opal's baby dying, feuds, death, illness, poverty… Nothing is fair here. If you want fair, you better pack your bags."

She was silent, staring at him with her mouth hanging open. "Neil…I…"

"Christy, stop feeling sorry for yourself and your situation and do something about it. You were raped, and that was awful and I hate that man more than I have hated anyone in my life. If he ever steps foot in this cove again, I will kill him without a doubt, and I won't think twice about it. He had no right to take the things from you that he did, but he didn't take everything. You're the strongest woman I have ever met, Christy Huddleston. You're going to be happy again. You're going to raise this baby and love it just as a mother should. You're going to marry David and spend the rest of your life supporting him, and he'll spend his supporting you, because if he doesn't, he'll have me to deal with."

Christy began to cry softly, and she wiped at her tears quickly.

"Lass, look at me."

She slowly looked up at him.

"Everything is going to be fine," He whispered. "You're never going to be alone."

"I know," She nodded. "Neil, thank you for being my friend."

"It is an honor I find myself unworthy of, Miss Huddleston."

She smiled. They grew quiet for a while, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Have you been feeling alright?" He asked.

"Yes."

"I wish Alice was here with you. I would feel better about all of this."

"David and Ruby Mae are taking wonderful care of me, and I'm sure Miss Alice will be home in a couple of days," Christy informed him. "And I'm fine, Neil."

He nodded.

"How is Margaret?" Christy asked softly.

"She's healing nicely. I wish we were headed into summer instead of winter, because it would be better for her lungs to have fresh and warm air rather than being cooped up in that cabin, but we'll make do."

"So she's staying in the Cove then?"

Neil stood, walking toward the window. "We're still talking about things. She's so different, Christy. I barely know her anymore. It feels like we're starting over, but we're married and there's so much pain there."

"Pain doesn't last forever," Christy told him.

"No," Neil agreed. "But I've never allowed myself to believe that I could ever feel anything but anger and hatred for that woman."

"Do you feel differently?"

"I look at her in that cabin and I forget all of the pain. She's just the woman I fell in love with…only better somehow."

Christy smiled. "I just want you to be happy, Neil. Please, whatever decision you make, make sure that you're going to be happy."

Neil grinned. "I didn't know my happiness was a concern of yours, Christy."

"Of course it is! You're one of my closest friends, Neil. You've taught me so much about myself, and I don't know why you've been by my side through everything, but you have."

"Your happiness is my concern as well, Lass," Neil told her softly. "So tell me. Are you going to be happy with David?"

Christy nodded, her face lighting up. "I've been so blind and foolish when it comes to him, Neil. He has been so patient, so loving, so kind, and supported me all along. The moment I stepped foot here at this mission, and fell into his arms, I think I knew that he was going to be there for me for the rest of my life. I think he knew it too. I just couldn't accept that love would find me so quickly. I feel so unworthy of him sometimes, but I know that that doesn't matter. Marriage is about being together as one, even when the world is trying to keep you as two. It's about commitment, and dedication, and the desire to hold one another up. I am so blessed to find all of those things with him. He's everything my mother and father have been praying for me to find since the day I was born. He's so…he's so…" She broke off in an amazed breath of air, giggling softly.

Neil let out a deep, soft chuckle and Christy turned to find him staring at her with tears in his eyes and smile on his face. "You really love David, don't you?"

Christy nodded. "Yes. Wholeheartedly."

Neil rose and pulled her into his arms, hugging her. "I'm glad, Christy. I'm glad you found what you're looking for. And maybe I will too."

"Maybe it's been there all along, Neil," Christy said, looking up at him. "You just have to be willing to find it."


	7. The Dreams We Share

David and Christy's hands swung in-between them as they walked through the field below the school house. Their fingers were tightly intertwined, and both of them wore smiles brighter than the sun. In David's free hand he carried a picnic basket, and in Christy's she hugged a blanket to herself. They laughed softly after a grasshopper jumped right in front of Christy's face and she let out a frightened yelp. The day was comfortably warm and perfect for a Saturday afternoon.

"This looks like a good spot," Christy announced.

"I agree. And the fact that you're standing here makes it even more perfect," David told her, smiling that charming grin that melted her heart.

Christy blushed. "David, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not. From my point of view, there isn't anything more beautiful than you, so wherever you are is automatically more beautiful."

Christy leaned over and placed a kiss to his cheek before he helped her spread out the blanket. They settled onto it, and Christy opened the picnic basket, getting out all of their food items.

"I'm glad Miss Alice is back," Christy commented. "You needed a day away from the mission."

"We both did," David agreed. "It was wonderful for Alice to give us this time away, after the week we've had. I needed to catch my breath before church tomorrow. If anyone comes, that is."

Christy nodded, letting out a sigh. The McHone's had returned to school on Wednesday, but been pulled back out again after a crow's head had been left hanging in their doorway on Wednesday night. Her heart ached for the children and the thought of such a horrible misunderstanding keeping them away from her nearly broke her heart.

"Everything's going to be fine, Christy," David assured her, reaching for her hand. "It doesn't seem fine right now, but we're going to get through this. Together."

She looked up at him, nodding. "I know. I'm just so angry."

"I am too. They've accused you and I of being together before marriage and conceiving a child. Me and you...of all people in this Cove to do that and try to cover it up. If they would just stop to listen long enough, everything would be explained. But their pride is always in the way of the truth."

"I'm so sorry that I've put you in this situation, David."

David reached over and squeezed her hand. "You didn't do a single thing wrong, Christy. I love you and I'm going to be at your side for all of this. If that means that people accuse me of being the father, then so be it. We'll take it as it comes."

She nodded, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, David."

He leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"What are we eating?" David asked.

Christy began to hand him food items and they fell into comfortable conversation about plans for the mission, church, and school during the fall and winter seasons, how Ida was doing, and eventually landing on the topic of Neil's visit with Christy on Monday.

"I wondered what he was doing here. I saw him walking into the schoolhouse when I went to the barn," David commented, after Christy rehashed what had been discussed with Neil.

"Why didn't you ask me about it?"

"I figured you would tell me if it was important," David shrugged. "I trust you."

She smiled. "That means a lot to me, David. Thank you."

"I do want you to know that you don't have to hide anything from me. I don't want you to hide anything from me again, like you felt you did with the rape and then the baby."

"I wish I hadn't," Christy admitted. "But I was afraid of losing you. I know now how silly that was."

"There's nothing you could ever do that would make you lose me, Christy," David promised. "Nothing."

They packed away the lunch items as they talked. "I hope Neil finds happiness with Margaret. And I hope that Alice responds well when she sees her again. I was afraid to mention it to her this morning."

"We'll pray for those relationships to heal. Margaret has a lot of learning to do, but then again all of them do."

Christy nodded in agreement, leaning back on her hands. Her stomach had swelled up quite a bit over the week, and she finally felt like she was the size she should be for this stage of her pregnancy. David yawned.

"Tired?" Christy asked.

David nodded. "I haven't been able to sleep very well. There's been a lot on my mind."

Christy patted her lap, and David laid down, his head resting on her lap. She ran her fingers through his dark locks, smiling down at him. "Do you want to talk about any of it?"

His screaming blue eyes stared back up at her. "I'm worried about you."

"About me? Why? I'm fine."

"After everything you've been through…Christy…" He shook his head. "I don't understand how you're being so strong."

Christy looked down at him, silently studying him for several quiet moments. At last she spoke. "I'm done living in the past, David. You know me. I make plans, I dream dreams, and I always believe that good is coming. I have to keep believing that. I believe that we're going to be happy together. I believe that you're going to be an amazing husband and father. I dream about you holding this baby and all of our children in your arms, singing to them, teaching them to walk and playing with them in front of the fire. I dream about waking up next to you every morning, about holding your hand under the table at meals, about stealing kisses in every spare moment. I dream about loving and serving these people together, hand in hand, and it drowns out the pain and the memories. All I can think about is how much I love you."

David's eyes glistened with tears and he sat up, his hand reaching up to cradle her face. "That's the first time you've ever told me you love me."

She nodded. Tears filled her eyes as he began to smile. His tears spilled over.

"Christy…" He whispered. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Completely. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you."

David let out a breath of air he didn't know he had been holding, kissing her forehead. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring he had been carrying around. She smiled when she saw it, reaching out to touch it. He captured her left hand in both of his, the ring resting between his right thumb and pointer finger.

"Christy Huddleston, will you marry me?"

She smiled, nodding. "Yes. Absolutely yes."

He slid it onto her finger, finally, and then took her in his arms and kissed the daylights out of her. She giggled as he hugged her, rocking her back and forth.

"I love you, Christy."

"And I love you, David."

He pulled back, his hands on her belly. "We have a lot to tell your parents."

"Mother is going to have a fit when she finds out about the baby," Christy informed him.

"Probably so. But there's nothing we can do about any of it. And once she gets over the shock, she'll realize that we're happy."

Christy smiled. "Are you really happy about the baby, David?"

"You have no idea how much I love you and this baby, Christy," He told her softly. "The thought of being a father and of raising children, _our_ children, by your side...I couldn't want anything more."

Christy reached for his face, drawing it down to hers and initiating the kiss that followed.

"I can't wait to marry you, Christy Huddleston."

"And I can't wait to marry you, David Grantland." Christy whispered. "Let's go tell Miss Alice."

"Right now?"

"Yes!" Christy said, standing. "I can't wait to see her face."

David laughed, standing and gathering their things. "Alright. Let's go."

Christy giggled, bounding along in front of him.

"Christy, I really wish you would slow down. The last thing we need is for you to fall."

Christy took heed of his advice, settling into a brisk walk beside him. His legs were longer than hers, so she had to do double time to match his stride anyway. She took the blanket from him, and he settled an arm around her waist. "All of those dreams you have about our future, Christy, are going to come true."

They looked at each other, grinning.

"I've missed that smile on thy face, Miss Huddleston," Alice's voice sounded from the schoolhouse steps as they walked past.

"Oh, Miss Alice, we didn't see you there," Christy greeted her.

They made their way up the steps to her.

"I found myself in need of prayer," Alice explained. "Sometimes I come in here, and pray over the children's artwork and desks. It reminds me that they are human and are learning just as we are."

David nodded. "Those are wise words, Alice."

"In light of the current situation, praying in this building was necessary on many fronts today," Alice said, looking around her at the building. "I prayed that good things would find us here at this mission once again."

"I believe your prayers have been answered, Miss Alice," Christy said, smiling.

David beamed down at her. "Christy and I are going to be married."

Alice was silent for a moment, studying both of them carefully. She must have found whatever it was she was looking for, because she smiled. "That is happy news, indeed. Congratulations to thee both."

Christy engulfed Alice in a hug, which Alice gladly reciprocated.

"The Cove will buzz to life with this news, and I do think that thee will find the current situation greatly relieved."

"What do you mean?" Christy questioned.

David nodded, his hands resting on his hips. "If the people here think that I am the one who fathered the baby, then marrying you would be the honorable thing to do. They'll accept the child as any other as long as we are married before the baby arrives."

"I see. I didn't realize that."

Alice looked down. "Blessings are often two-fold, Christy. I believe this blessing will make things better in more ways than we are currently aware. Thy marriage will be a marvelous thing for the Cove and for thee both. I am happy for thee."

"Thank you, Alice," David smiled. "We are very happy as well."

He hugged Christy to his side. Neither of them could stop smiling, and Christy was still grinning when the sun settled over the mountains that night. Dawn would come tomorrow; a new day, with new beginnings, blessings, and love.


	8. The Sacrifices We Make

**Woohoo! Another chapter! And it's a long one! Yay! **

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"Christy?" David asked, poking his head out the balcony door off of Christy's bedroom.

She turned to him, still in her nightgown. "Hi, David."

"I came to tell you breakfast was ready, and when you didn't answer my knock, I worried."

"Sorry," Christy smiled. "I was a million miles away."

David slipped his arm around her waist. "Mind telling me where?"

She leaned her head onto his shoulder. "The future. Our future."

David smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm so happy you said yes at last."

"I am too," Christy smiled, nodding and looking up at him as she turned in his arms to face him. Her smile faded slightly as dizziness once again welcomed itself into her world. She winced, let out a breath of air and leaned her forehead against David's chest, closing her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"Just dizzy."

David waited until she raised her head again and he knelt in front of her, his hands going to her stomach. He kissed her belly softly.

"Hello, baby. You're giving your mother a rough time, did you know that?

Christy smiled down at him with love. David grinned up at her and continued. "She loves you an awful lot. So do I. That's what makes all of this worth it, knowing that you are coming to join us in a few months. Stay safe in there, alright?"

Christy giggled, a tear escaping down her face as David kissed her belly once more. Then he stood again and Christy let passion overtake her, grabbing his face in her hands and kissing him soundly on the lips. He responded quickly, kissing her back with equal fervor.

"I love you," Christy whispered against his lips when they pulled far enough away for air.

"I love both of you," David whispered back. He kissed her once more. "Get dressed and come down for breakfast. The baby needs food."

"I will be down in a few minutes."

* * *

><p>Christy pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she looked over the children's grammar practices. She bent over Little Burl, pointing out a mistake on his slate. He followed her finger and quickly erased the mistake. He fixed it without her having to say a word, and then grinned up at her. Christy smiled down at him and then moved on toward the back of the room. She glanced out the windows that filled the center of the double doors. The skies had darkened considerably since lunch, and the clouds looked heavy and full. Judging by the quickly dropping temperature, snow was coming.<p>

"Children, I'm going to let you go a little early today. It looks as though a snow storm is coming up," Christy announced to all of them. They let out a happy cheer and started chattering about snow. Christy quickly quieted them. "I want you all to button up with all of your layers of clothing and head straight home. Don't go anywhere else or play around on your way home. Go straight there and get inside. Alright?"

The children began to move about. It was a flurry of coats, gloves and extra socks on the shoeless feet of some the children. "Don't forget your reading assignments!" Christy shouted over the noise as the children began to scurry down the steps and away from the schoolhouse.

She smiled as she watched them go, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm them up. She reached into the wood box, planning on staying to work at her desk until the snow actually began to fall. She carried a couple of logs to the stove and poked them in. When she turned around she saw Mountie still sitting at her desk, the other O'Teale children surrounding her. Christy frowned and walked toward them.

Mountie looked up at her as Christy got to her. Her face was rosy red. "Mountie, are you sick, honey?"

Mountie nodded and Christy felt Mountie's forehead. "Oh, Mountie you're burning up. Let's get you all home, alright? I'll walk with you."

Mountie nodded once more, and Christy turned toward the other children to see that they were already bundled up and ready to go. Becky handed over Mountie's coat, and Christy helped the little girl put it on. Christy put on her own coat and gloves and then they all made their way out of the school. Mountie held tightly to Christy's hand the entire way. The wind was picking up more, and the temperature couldn't have been more than thirty degrees by the time they reached the O'Teale cabin. Christy followed the children inside, and Swannie offered Christy some tea. Christy declined.

"I really need to get back before the snow starts falling," Christy explained. "I wanted to make sure Mountie made it home and into bed."

"This tea is very good for expecting mothers," Swannie went on to say.

Christy smiled. "Maybe next time, Swannie. Thank you."

She still felt incredibly uncomfortable around the people of the cove. Most of them would never believe anything other than the fact that David was the father. Yet they continued to come to church, even though they believed their preacher to have had premarital relations with their school teacher. Christy could feel a judgmental eye constantly on both of them, especially when they were together.

As if on cue, a knock sounded on the door. Becky opened it, and David stood there.

"David, what are you doing?" Christy asked in shock.

"Hello, Swannie…" David smiled as he entered. Then he turned to Christy. "I came to get you. Ruby Mae said she spotted you leaving with the children. I wanted to make sure you got home safely."

"David, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself," Christy spat out. She received a warning look from him, in response to her biting tone.

"I offered Miz Christy some tea," Swannie informed him. "But she said she didn't have time. You must make sure you both come back and visit when you have more time."

"We will, Swannie. Thank you," David said, reaching for Christy's elbow and directing her toward the door. "Stay warm, everyone!"

They were walking briskly back to the mission when Christy sent a glare his direction.

"You didn't have to follow me. I'm expecting, not an invalid."

"I know you're not, Christy. But these snow storms are violent in the mountains. One moment there will be a few flakes and the next you can't see a foot in front of you. I couldn't stand the thought of you being out here by yourself. And I would have come whether you were expecting or not. Don't be angry, Christy. Just let me do my job and love you."

Christy sighed. "Fine. But you should know that you're constant popping up and following me around is embarrassing for me."

"That's because you're so independent, and I understand that, Christy. Truly, I do. It's one of the things I love about you." He told her, his arm linking through hers. "But you're not yourself right now. You don't have to be so independent and strong right now. You're growing a baby. That's enough to ask of you. I want to be your support system, Christy. Please."

She nodded. "Thank you."

He smiled at her and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Snowflakes began to fall then and Christy shivered. David pulled her closer to him. The snow began to pick up.

"I hope all of the children made it home," Christy worried.

"They should have. They had plenty of time," David told her.

The wind swirled the snow around them, and they could barely see. Christy was growing cold and tired, and she had to force herself to take each step into the wind. David continued to urge her on. She was beginning to panic, though she did her best to hide it. Suddenly she tripped over a root that was sticking up out of the ground and lurched forward. David did his best to catch her and slow her fall, but she ended up letting her body sink to the snow covered ground.

"Christy, are you alright?" David asked in worry.

She began to cry, frustrated at herself for being so clumsy and off balance all of the time. David knelt in front of her, searching her face.

"Christy?"

"I'm fine," She told him.

He nodded and stood behind her to help her up. His hands rested on her ribs as he pulled her to her feet. She took one step and cried out, leaning into him.

"My ankle," Christy told him, through her tears. "I twisted it."

David looked down to assess the situation. "Can you walk on it at all?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, honey," David told her. "You're freezing and you didn't see it. Just calm down okay?"

She gained control of herself and David scooped her up in his arms.

"You can't carry me all the way back."

"I can, and I will," David insisted. "We're almost there."

Christy leaned her head on his chest attempting to soak up as much of his warmth that she could, but he was as cold as she was. Her skirts were soaking wet from where she had fallen in the snow, adding further to her misery.

"I'm so cold," She told him, her teeth chattering.

"I know. Just hold on, Christy."

"I'm going to sleep for a little bit," She said softly, her eyes growing heavy.

"No, Christy. Stay awake," David instructed. "You have to try to stay awake."

She tried, hard, but eventually she couldn't take it anymore and succumbed to sleep.

"Christy?" David asked. "Christy, wake up. You have to wake up."

She didn't respond, and David picked up his pace. She had gone limp in his arms, her body freezing slowly. It took too long to get back to the mission, and by the time he climbed the steps, close to four inches of snow had fallen. Alice swung the door open, her hands flying to her face as she saw them. David walked past her and straight to the living room where a fire was blazing.

"Alice," David chattered out. "Will you make her a bed in front of the fire? We have to get her warmed up."

Alice complied and David bent to place Christy on the makeshift bed. He cradled her carefully and when he was certain she was safely on the floor, he knelt beside her.

"David, let me take thy coat," Alice said.

David let her have it and then began to work to get Christy out of her coat and gloves.

"Alice, we need Neil. Now," David told her.

"Ruby Mae is calling him," Alice said. "Let's get her out of these wet clothes."

David nodded in agreement.

"David, maybe thee should let me handle this part and go get into dry clothes."

He hesitated, but then went to do as he was told. When he came back, Alice had piled several quilts on top of Christy, and her things were hanging by the fire to dry. David went immediately to Christy's side, taking her hands in his and rubbing them. He blew warm air onto them, his eyes intent on her ashen face and purple lips.

"Mrs. MacNeill said that Doc's coming straight away and her thoughts are with Miz Christy," Ruby Mae informed them as she entered. She placed a steaming cup of coffee next to David, and he thanked her, quickly downing most of it.

Alice was stationed at Christy's feet, her hands under the blankets rubbing her legs as quickly as possible. "We have to get the blood flowing again."

David looked toward the clock on the wall as the minutes passed by and he rubbed Christy's arms. The second hand seemed to freeze, and David panicked. Christy had still not moved. Where was Neil?

"Alice, we're losing her."

"She's going to be fine," Alice told him calmly. "We'll get her warmed up and she'll be fine."

"I told her to stay awake. I told her…"

"David," Alice's voice was stern. "Christy is going to be fine."

David swallowed, nodding.

"Her ankle is bruised badly."

"She fell and twisted it," David explained.

"Neil will want to take a look at it."

Pounding footsteps echoed on the porch outside and Neil entered. His face was deep with worry as he raced into the room. He knelt beside David.

"How long has she been out?" Neil asked.

"Over an hour," Alice informed him. "We're trying to get her blood flowing again."

Neil reached for Christy's hand. "They're still ice cold. What was she doing out in this?"

"She took Mountie and the other O'Teale children home. Mountie was not feeling well," David informed him. "I followed her, but we didn't make it back in time. She fell and twisted her ankle pretty badly. I had to carry her the rest of the way."

"Her selflessness is going to be the death of her," Neil muttered under his breath. "I wish I understood this woman."

Neil held her wrist, checking her pulse.

"Her pulse is weak, Alice. We aren't getting her warmed up fast enough. We need to take more drastic measures," Neil said evenly.

"What do we need to do?" David asked.

"Alice, ask Ruby Mae to heat water on the stove, but don't let it boil. I just want it warm. We're going to soak some towels in the arm water and run it over her skin until her temperature starts to come back up."

Alice left the room, and Neil pulled out his stethoscope. "I'm going to check for the baby's heartbeat."

David nodded, his hands clinging to Christy's. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her cold and still ones. She didn't respond at all, and it nearly broke his heart. Neil placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to do everything I possibly can, David," Neil promised. "But her body is shutting down. You need to pray, and pray hard."

David turned to Neil with tears welling up in his eyes. "You have to save her, Neil. She's my entire world. I have nothing if I don't have her."

Neil was silent, intently studying David's face. "I know. Believe me, I know."

David let out a shaky breath of air and watched as Neil pulled back the layers of quilts revealing Christy in only her undergarments. Christy's modesty was the least of their worries at the moment. Neil placed the stethoscope to her lower abdomen, moving it around over the thin fabric of her undergarments. His face remained expressionless, and David felt his hands shaking as he waited. Neil continued to remain silent, listening intently. Alice appeared in the doorway, her movements ceasing as she saw what was going on. David was not prepared for what would come of losing this baby. It would break their hearts.

At long last, Neil released a breath of air. "The baby has a heartbeat."

David ran a hand through his hair. "Thank God."

"It's not as strong as I would like it to be," Neil told him. "But there is a heartbeat."

That knowledge seemed to bring some life to the room, and they spend the next hour bringing Christy's temperature up. When Neil checked her pulse again, it was returning to normal. He moved to wrap Christy's sprained ankle, wrapping it with bandages to give it more stability.

"Alright, let's get her tucked into bed. I want any extra quilts that you have to be brought up to her room," Neil instructed as he wrapped the quilts around Christy's still unconscious body in a makeshift cocoon. "Ruby Mae, heat some stones and place them at the foot of her bed to keep her feet warm. David, you can take her up now."

David nodded, so incredibly glad that Neil and Alice were here to take charge. His mind was muddled with worry and he could barely think of anything but how pale Christy's face was. He lifted her into his arms and carried her upstairs to her room. Her head rested against his shoulder and David was relieved to feel some warmth in her again. He placed her in her bed, tucked her in, and then pulled a chair up at her bedside. He leaned forward, praying hard, when Neil and Alice entered. Neil placed the stones at Christy's feet, and then he and Alice placed two more quilts over her. She suddenly looked so tiny in the bed, swallowed up by quilts.

"David…" Neil said softly.

Alice's hand came to rest on David's shoulder and he looked up at Neil.

"We aren't out of the woods yet. She's in a comatose state right now, and if she doesn't wake up in the next few hours, this is going to get a lot more serious. That baby is going to need nourishment, and so will she."

"Are you telling me that there is a chance she won't make it?"

"I'm telling you that you need to pray," Neil said.

David swallowed, running a hand through Christy's hair. Neil left the room to call Margaret and to check in with El Pano to see how everyone was fairing with the storm.

"Hello?" Margaret's voice crackled over the line.

"It's Neil," Neil told her, exhaustion settling in his voice. The trip over here had been difficult, but he'd been determined to get to the mission to save Christy.

"Oh, Neil, thank God," She breathed out. "Did you just get there?"

"No, I've been here for over an hour."

"How is she?"

"She's holding on."

"The baby?"

"The same. We warmed her temperature back up and her pulse is strengthening. I…I'd feel better if she'd wake up, but I haven't been able to get any responses out of her."

"She'll wake up, Neil," Margaret assured him.

"She shouldn't have been out in this. She took the O'Teale children home. David followed her, to make sure she made it back, but they didn't get here in time and she fell and sprained her ankle and he had to carry her."

"Neil," Margaret said sharply. "Calm down. Take a breath, and clear your mind. She's back now, and she's going to be fine."

"You don't know that…I don't know that. She puts others ahead of her own needs too often and it's finally caught up to her."

"She was doing her job, Neil. She's supposed to protect those children. It's no different than you going to the mission in the middle of this storm to save her. Those are the sacrifices we make for the people that we care about."

Neil closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "You're right. Are you staying warm enough?"

"You left me with enough fire wood to last through next May," She laughed. "I'm fine."

"Alright. Call if you need anything."

"I will. I love you, Mac," She said.

He closed his eyes, soaking in the words and letting them warm his heart. "I'll call you later to update you."

"Thank you. Bye."

"Goodbye."

He listened for the line to click off, and then he replaced the receiver. Slowly he settled his body into the chair beside the stairs and listened to the howling wind and snow outside the mission. He was battling with a gripping fear, and he felt powerless to it. Sitting there, at the bottom of the stairs, he could hear Alice's hushed tones as she talked to David in Christy's room, and Ruby Mae's rattling around in the kitchen, but he felt strangely alone. He felt that no matter where he was in that moment, his heart would not feel at home. It belonged to no one, and he desperately wanted to give it to Margaret, but there was something holding him back. He had forgiven Margaret, weeks ago, before she even returned. There was something more than resentment for her, because he found that he held none against her.

"_Forgiveness is a powerful thing. I don't think anyone would be capable of loving anyone else if we couldn't forgive."_

Christy's words drifted over him, and he perked up to listen. They had been discussing forgiveness after Bessie Coburn had accused both of them of an illegitimate relationship, and Neil had admired her quickly mending relationship with Bessie. She'd smiled, shrugged, and proceeded to tell him why she felt forgiveness was so important.

"_God forgave us when we didn't deserve it,"_ She had said simply. _"From my point of view, the least we can do is to forgive others when they don't deserve it, because we're just as undeserving of it. No one wants guilt or resentment hanging over them, suffocating them. Forgiveness is a powerful thing. I don't think anyone would be capable of loving anyone else if we couldn't forgive."_

Neil nodded, suddenly able to fully comprehend what she had told him all those months ago. He may have forgiven Margaret, and she him, but there was another level of forgiveness that needed to take place. He needed to forgive himself.

"God help me," He breathed out. "I don't know how this works. I don't know how to let my guilt go. Please help me. Christy, David, Alice…they all talk about this forgiveness…about you freeing them from guilt. I need that, God. I need you to forgive me so that I can love again. Please, God…Forgive me. I know I have done so many things wrong. I've run from you, and I've hated you. But I'm done with that. God, I just want to be done with all of it. I feel like I'm suffocating, and I just need to start over. I know I don't deserve it, but if you could find a way to forgive me, God, I'll spend the rest of my life serving you. Please…please."

He broke down in sobs, but a sudden peace came over his heart, and he froze. He'd been told about it, so many times, but never believed it. He'd never allowed himself to think that he could feel it too, but he was. That peace, that lightness, the weightlessness of being forgiven was his at last. For the first time in years, he felt alive. He could start over. He could be free of his painful past. He was forgiven because of the sacrifice of God's son.

* * *

><p>The snow had stopped falling and dawn was just beginning to lighten the grey sky as Alice stood on Christy's balcony, Bible tight between the palms of her hands as she prayed. Christy still had not moved an inch, and David had finally drifted off at his spot on the floor by Christy's bed an hour ago. His head rested on his arms right next to Christy's side, and Alice had placed a quilt over his shoulders. Neil had come and gone throughout the night, at one point asking to borrow David's Bible. This had set David on edge, thinking that Christy was dying and Neil was desperately seeking answers. He had been wrong, and Neil had confessed to them both the change that had taken place. David had even smiled, despite the situation they found themselves in, and the two men had hugged in a brotherly way. The sight had warmed Alice's heart. She wished Christy had been able to see it, but realized that without Christy's near brush with death, this likely would not have happened with Neil.<p>

Her heart was overwhelmed. She feared that they would lose Christy or the baby, but was relying on God for strength and hope. Hope had been provided through Neil's decision to trust in God. She was overjoyed to see the man she was beginning to see as a son finally allow God into his life. She felt a strange stirring of guilt though, when she knew that Margaret was at home waiting for Neil to return, unaware of the change that had taken place. She feared that her estranged daughter would immediately reject Neil when she found out that he had been converted to "Mother's God." Alice did not trust Margaret, despite everyone's insistence that she was changing. Too many stabs had been taken at her heart.

A stirring behind the closed balcony doors caught her attention and she opened them to find David weeping as he knelt beside Christy's bed. His lips were pressed against Christy's hand, and a smile was forming on his face. Christy was blinking slowly, her eyes taking him in.

"David?" Christy's voice choked out.

"Good morning, beautiful girl," David whispered. "I'm so glad you're finally awake."

Christy smiled faintly, and Alice let her tears fall freely. Christy was fine. She was going to be fine. Alice immediately sent up prayers of thanks and then moved toward Christy. She bent and placed a kiss to Christy's forehead.

"We are happy to see thee awake, Christy," Alice whispered. "I'm going to get Neil."

Christy smiled up at her, and then turned back to David as Alice left the room. Alice glanced over her shoulder to see David kissing the daylights out of Christy, and she quickly looked away, closing the door behind her, before descending the stairs to find Neil.


	9. Love is on the Move

**Happy Friday! R&R!**

Neil found Alice in the kitchen later on in the morning helping Ruby Mae make breakfast.

"Smells good," Neil commented.

"Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes," Alice told him, her eyes remaining on the coffee grinder as she gave it another whirl. They all had been surviving on coffee to stay awake with Christy through the night. "How did Christy and the baby seem?"

Neil poured water into the basin by the door and washed his hands. "Christy's exhausted and it'll take her a few days to recuperate. The baby seems fine, but I want her still for a couple of days just to make sure. I don't want her walking around on that ankle either. She needs to stay in bed until I tell her she can get out of it."

"I don't know how anyone is gonna keep Miz Christy in bed for very long," Ruby Mae told him.

"It will be a difficult task," Neil agreed.

"But one that can be accomplished," Alice assured them.

"I want her to eat this morning," Neil said.

"Here, thee can take this up to her, Ruby Mae," Alice said, preparing a plate for Christy and placing it on a tray. Then she made another one. "And this one is for David."

Ruby Mae picked up the tray and left to take it upstairs to Christy's room.

"I just called Margaret and told her I'd be home later this morning. Will you be fine here?" Neil asked.

Alice's hands froze over the skillet, spoon suspended midair. She didn't respond.

"Alice?" Neil asked.

"Yes, thee needs to return home and rest," Alice told him.

Neil nodded, staring at the back of her head. Silence fell over them. "She's trying, Alice. She…she wants to stay, Alice. But a lot of that is depending on her relationship with you. You are one of the most important people in her life. If you don't mend your relationship with her…"

Alice spun around. "Do not tell me what I need to do about my daughter. She has had so many chances, Neil."

Neil looked down. "I know that better than anyone, Alice."

"Yet thee are giving her another one," Alice concluded.

"Yes," Neil nodded and looked up at her. "Yes, I am. Who am I to condemn her for her actions when mine have been just as horrible? There is a lot you don't know about our marriage, Alice. About what happened during those last few months."

Alice did not respond. Neil stepped closer.

"She lost a baby," Neil said softly, and Alice looked up at him with wide eyes. The pregnancy had been a secret, even from Alice. "We told no one. She didn't want sympathy. But we started falling apart rapidly after that. I blamed myself for not being able to save the baby. She fell into a dark depression, but I was so caught up in my own pain and making it about me, that I didn't even notice how deeply she was hurting. I should have…God, she had a miscarriage. Of course her heart was broken. We both wanted that baby… She couldn't take it anymore, and that's when she faked her drowning."

Alice's shoulders began to shake, and she looked down to hide her tears. Neil put his hand on her shoulder.

"I know that she has hurt you deeply, Alice. She broke my heart more than I could ever have imagined she would. But she's still your daughter, and she's still my wife. And I've learned that harboring anger and hatred for her was hurting me and the people around me more than it was hurting her."

Alice looked up at him, tears in her eyes. Neil said nothing, just looked at her.

"I'll come see Margaret soon," She said at last.

"Thank you," Neil whispered.

* * *

><p>The October sun returned for the last two days of the month, melting away the early snow and warming the cove once more. The snow storm had been a sign of what was too come throughout the winter, and everyone picked up the pace with their preparations. Women canned as much food as they could, men gathered firewood for days straight. Mud was added to the cabin walls for further insulation, and more quilts were stitched. As November came upon them in a brilliance of orange, yellow and red, the cove was a flurry of activity. Alice returned to Raven Gap, and Neil accused her under his breath of running from her problems when he returned to check on Christy and found Alice gone.<p>

Neil was not satisfied that Christy's ankle was well enough for her to be out of bed, so she remained there, growing impatient. Margaret took over classes at the school, and between her, David, Neil, and Christy's input, school continued on. Neil was amazed that Margaret was getting along with the children so well, but each time he arrived to help with science class, she seemed to be doing well with them. Further joy was added to his heart, when instead of rejecting Neil's turn to God, Margaret asked questions about it, and seemed to accept it without complaint. When arguments arose, frequently, they did not let it go on and on. They resolved things quickly, something they had never done before. So Neil and Margaret continued to dance around one another, playing house in his cabin until the day came when they both knew they would need to make a decision about their relationship. For now, they simply enjoyed getting reacquainted with one another.

David spent every spare moment with Christy, and they began to make plans for a Christmas Eve Wedding. She wrote a letter to her parents, though she left out the information about the baby. She knew she would regret not telling them, but each time she meant to, she put it off. She knew they would insist on her coming home. Finally, she decided that when they came for the wedding and discovered their daughter's predicament, she would be far enough along that she couldn't travel anymore and the wedding would be so close that there would be nothing they could do to stop it and force her to return to Asheville. They would simply have to accept it and let her be. That was, of course, as long as their plans melded well with hers.

* * *

><p>Christy looked at David as he stood in her room, pacing the floor. Her ankle was propped up on a pillow, and her hands firmly rested over her stomach as she sat in the bed.<p>

"David, what is wrong?" Christy asked for the tenth time since he had entered five minutes ago. Her book was discarded in her lap.

"I…" David started and then shook his head, looking down at his feet.

"What?"

"Your father called."

"He did?" Christy asked. "Oh, I wish I could have gone down to talk to him. This ankle is-"

"Christy… They're coming early."

Christy shot up. "What?!"

"Your father insisted, and I couldn't say no. I told them they'll likely get snowed in for the whole winter, but that didn't seem to change their minds. They don't understand why you want a Christmas Eve wedding so badly, but your mother wants to be here to help prepare. They'll be here three days after Thanksgiving."

Christy moaned. "What am I going to do? I haven't told them yet. I was going to…I really was. But I just never felt like the time was right."

"You could call and tell them ahead of time."

"I don't think that would be appropriate. How can I tell them something like that on the phone?"

"I know. I'm sorry, Christy."

"Mother will faint at the sight of me," Christy muttered. "Then she'll march up here, pack my bags, and drag me home with her."

"She can't just decide your life for you. We're getting married. Surely she wouldn't drag you away from me."

Christy smiled devilishly. "You really don't know my mother very well, do you?"

David sighed and came and sat beside her. "Christy, is there anything I can do to help?"

Christy shook her head. "No. We'll just deal with it when they get here. Maybe I can convince Neil to insist that I stay in Cutter Gap so she has no choice but to let me stay."

David leaned forward and kissed the side of her head. "I love you, Christy. I'm going to be here the whole time."

Christy looked up at him, peace coming over her. "I know. And I love you so much."

* * *

><p>Neil inspected Christy's ankle, David looking over his shoulder, quite annoyingly. He had already done a check-up on the baby, and David had got to listen to the baby's heartbeat.<p>

"Well, the bruising is lessening and the swelling has gone down. Can you walk on it?"

"I did this morning."

"Good. Any pain?"

"Not much."

"Well, then Miss Huddleston, if you promise to take it easy, I would say you are officially allowed out of bed."

Christy smiled. "Thank you, Neil."

Neil closed his medical bag and picked it up. "No problem."

David helped Christy up and led her downstairs where breakfast was waiting on them. Margaret was helping Ruby Mae put breakfast on the table. David helped Christy into a chair and Neil held out Margaret's chair for her before Ruby Mae and the men sat down.

"Let's pray," David said, taking Christy's hand in his. The others all joined hands as well before David began. When he finished, everyone released each other's hands, except for David, who held onto Christy's. Christy looked up in surprise as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

Christy smiled, blushing as he looked at her. When he finally released her hand, Christy glanced at Neil, who was watching her with a blank face. She quickly looked away.

"Christy, how many days until your parents arrive?" Margaret asked.

"Thirteen," Christy said with a sigh. "They're getting here three days after Thanksgiving."

"Have you told them?"

"No," She said flatly.

"Her mother is going to want to take Christy back to Asheville," David explained.

"Well, I don't think that would be wise. You'll be six months along by then. It would be dangerous for you to travel," Neil told her. "And I'll tell your mother that too. She doesn't scare me."

They all laughed softly.

"I know she doesn't, Neil. That would be wonderful of you to tell her that. She can't argue with you very well."

"No one can," Margaret announced, and Neil jabbed her with his elbow. "Well, I'm glad you're getting to return to school, Christy, but I'm going to miss the children."

"Well, I would greatly appreciate it if you would take over when I have the baby," Christy told her.

"I'd love to," Margaret said and the two women smiled at one another.

Silence ensued. After a few minutes, Ruby Mae spoke up.

"Miss Christy… it's time for school."

Christy scooted her chair back and stood, David standing too.

"Thank you, Ruby Mae," Christy said as she crossed the room to grab her books. David helped her into her coat as Margaret told Ruby Mae she would wash the dishes.

Christy turned back to David.

"Have a good day," David said. "I'll be there later to help with Bible and math."

"Alright. Thank you, David. I love you."

"And I love you," David said.

David leaned down and kissed her, hugging her to him. Neil pretended to be busy talking to Margaret about their plans for the day, but he couldn't help but notice the way Christy wrapped her arms around David's neck.

"Bye…" Christy smiled at the rest of them as she then headed for the door. "Thank you for coming so early."

"No problem. Have a good day, Christy," Neil said as Margaret clung to his arm.

Christy disappeared out the door.

"Grantland, can I speak to you outside for a moment?" Neil asked.

David nodded and the two went outside and stood on the porch.

"What's on your mind, Doctor?"

"It's about Christy."

"What about her? Is she alright?" David asked in alarm.

"No, no it's nothing like that. Everything's fine. Listen, I realize you and I have had our fair share of disagreements about Christy."

David nodded.

"I want you to know, that I don't think she could have made a better decision in choosing you. You're going to make her very happy, and I can see it all over her face that she loves you."

David looked astonished that Neil MacNeill was saying all of this.

"Margaret and I are going to try again. I just wanted you to know. Margaret finally seems happy here, and that has a lot to do with you and Christy. I…I've said and done some pretty awful things to you, Grantland. I didn't respect you, because of what you believed in. But I was wrong…about all of it. I apologize for that, and hope you can forgive me."

"Thank you, Neil. You have no idea how much I appreciate that. I hold nothing against you. And as far as Christy is concerned, we're all powerless when it comes to her. I can never hold the fact that you cared about her against you."

"Christy's a remarkable woman. She deserves what's best for her. But I swear, Grantland, you hurt her in anyway and I will make you regret it."

David smiled. "I'll take care of her, Doctor. You have my word. I love her more than I ever thought possible. I hope that you can feel that way about Margaret again."

"I'm already halfway there," Neil admitted.

Neil smiled and the two shook hands. On the other side of the door, Margaret was leaning against the door, listening and smiling. Love was moving in their hearts once more, and she felt the warmth and the power of it fill every fiber of her.


	10. Begin Again

**Chapter ten! Can you believe it? We've made it through ten whole chapters, and there are many more to come. But on this anniversary of sorts, I think that fluffiness is a must, especially in the renewing world of everything Neil and Margaret MacNeill. So here's to them, and to happiness, and to chapter ten!**

**Read and Review, lovelies! 3**

Margaret stood at the kitchen table, rolling pin firmly in her hands. Flour covered the table and the dough in front of her as she rolled it into a nearly perfect circle. The day was warm, allowing her to have the door open and music playing from the victrola on the porch outside. It seemed odd that they had already had a snowstorm that had threatened to take Christy's life, and now she was letting warm air and sunshine in through the open door. Fall weather had returned, making cooking and other preparations for Thanksgiving much easier. Already, she had a few loaves of bread cooling on the porch railing. She put more flour on her hands, preparing to lift the pie crust into the dish, when two arms snaked around her waist. A head of red curly hair pressed against hers, and she breathed in his deep scent of pine and medical supplies.

"You're home early…" She noted, leaning her head back on his chest. He rocked her back and forth very slightly.

"I am," he agreed, not taking the time to explain before his lips were on her neck.

"Mac, I'll never get this pie made and your dinner on the table if you start that now."

"We could just eat the bread outside. It smelled heavenly," he suggested, his hands sliding dangerously over her hips.

"Neil…" She laughed. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not, am I?" He spun her around to look at her. "I came home early with a purpose, and as long as you approve, I plan to accomplish my purpose."

Her flour covered hands and apron now had him covered as well. She looked over the mess she had made, and then raised her eyes to his. He was looking at her with such passionate desire it took her breath away.

"Mac, we haven't…are you sure now is a good time?"

"As good as any," Neil said. "I don't see a point in putting it off. It will inevitably happen eventually."

"It will?" She mumbled.

"That's what married people do isn't it?"

"Yes, but, Mac…this is you and me we're talking about. It will make things much more complicated."

"We're already complicated," He reminded her.

"We always have been. Why the change in attitude? You wanted to take this slow…to make sure we both really wanted this."

"You told me you would stay if I wanted you to. I want you to stay."

"I will," She nodded. "I just want you to be sure, because if you change your mind…"

Her voice trailed off and she looked down to hide her face from him.

"I don't think I would be able to handle pain like that, Neil."

"I'm not going to change my mind," He said firmly, taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him. Tears had filled her eyes and it shocked him to see her in such a vulnerable state. "I'm not going to change my mind. Ever."

"Promise?"

"Yes. So will you stay?"

Slowly, a smile began to creep over her face. "I'll stay."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

"Until death. Through whatever happens?"

"I'll be right here, Mac, until the day I die. I'm not ever going to leave you again."

He kissed her, long and hard, leaving her absolutely breathless.

"That sounded an awful lot like wedding vows. I think we just got married again," Neil stated with a wide grin, when they broke apart.

She nodded. "I liked that one more than the first one."

"I also think I'm going to like what comes next even better than the first time," He announced, swinging her up into his arms in one effortless motion.

She laughed as he carried her toward the stairs. "Oh, Mac! The stew will burn!"

He turned around abruptly. "We can't have that."

He carried her back to the stove, set her down, picked up the dish towel, opened the oven door, and pulled the stew out. He set it firmly on the table, far away from the fire. Then he scooped her back up, and resumed their trip to the bedroom. Margaret couldn't wipe the smile off her face for anything in the world.

* * *

><p>Neil leaned his head on his bent arm, gazing down at his lovely wife beside him in the fading afternoon light drifting through the bedroom window. Margaret was twirling one of her long, black curls around her finger, staring at the ceiling.<p>

"What are you thinking about?" Neil asked.

"You," She stated. "Us."

"What about us?"

"How different I hope things will be this time."

He ran a hand down her arm, intertwining his fingers with hers when he got to them. "We're never going back to that place, Margaret. Not ever. I'm…I'm different. I found God. I'm not the man I was. We aren't going back to that place."

"Losing the baby was so hard," She whispered.

"I know."

"We didn't talk about it. We just moved on like it didn't happen. I hated that we acted that way. That was our child, and we both just tried to forget."

"I blamed myself for not saving it."

"And I blamed myself for losing it in the first place."

"Margaret…there was nothing you could have done."

She looked at him, raising her eyebrows. He understood her message.

"There was nothing I could have done either," He admitted for the first time.

She let a tear fall, squeezing his hand. "We need to talk about what is going to happen if it happens again."

"It won't."

"It might."

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

"Do you want another baby, Neil?" She asked, her voice small and afraid.

"Yes. Very much. But I don't want to put pressure on you."

"I already told you I want one."

"I know. I just don't want you to feel like it is your responsibility or duty. I will love you no matter what."

She nodded slowly. "You think I will have a difficult time conceiving."

He studied her closely, gauging her reaction. "Possibly. You've been very ill. And we don't know why the other miscarriage happened. Chances are that something was deformed with the baby and nature took its course. But it could have been something else."

"But we'll keep trying?"

"Yes. For as long as necessary."

"Will you be strong enough, Mac, to handle another miscarriage if one happens? Because I know I won't be. I'm going to need you very desperately. Will you be there?"

"One of my biggest regrets in my life is not being there for you in that time when you needed me most of all. I will not make that mistake again. I will be there. I will be there for any trial you face, at anytime, Margaret. I'm your husband, and I'm ready and willing to fill that role."

She smiled, nudging his shoulder and pushing him back down onto his back. She leaned over him, her curls falling into his face. He reached up and smoothed them back so he could look at her.

"I love you, Neil MacNeill," She said firmly and passionately.

"I love you, Margaret MacNeill." His voice held the triumph and certainty of a winning warrior at the end of a war.

**AN: Ahhh! So much lovely fluff. I love Neil MacNeill when he gets all romantic. So sweet. ****And he**_** loves**_** her! And he said it! Do I hear all of your happy squeals? I bet you can hear mine!**

**On a side note, I know many of you are getting impatient for Alice and Margaret's conversation. I needed to get Neil and Margaret to this point before that conversation could finally take place. You'll understand why when you read it. Bear with me, it is coming _very_ soon!**


	11. Finding Forgiveness

**HAPPY FRIDAY! Read and review!**

Alice paused as she stood on the porch of Neil MacNeill's cabin. She was half expecting it to be the way it used to be when she attempted to visit her daughter here with shouting or deafening silence coming from inside the cold abyss. Instead, she was shocked to hear laughter; the low rumbling laugh of Neil mixing with the high-pitched laugh that only came from Margaret's lips when she was truly happy.

Alice took a step back, finally allowing the truth to begin to sink in. David and Christy had been correct when they had told her that the MacNeill's were pursuing their relationship again and that they seemed happy. It had almost been too much to take in when Neil had finally accepted God into his life. Imagining him and her daughter finding happiness together had been a seemingly impossible feat. She had been wrong.

Once again regaining the courage that had lately been lacking within her, she raised her fist and knocked on the door. The laughter died down, and then the door was swinging open, revealing Neil stood there, pipe in his hand.

"Alice!" Neil greeted. He was completely blocking her view of the inside of the cabin behind him.

Something clattered to the floor behind him, and he stiffened. He glanced over his shoulder and then he looked back to her. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"I came to see Margaret," Alice said simply.

Neil's eyes held a pleading and cautioning look, and Alice took the warning. He wanted her to tread lightly and not put anything that he and Margaret had accomplished in their relationship in danger.

"I can come back another time," Alice said.

"No, it's alright, Neil," Margaret's voice sounded behind him. "Let her in."

Neil moved aside and allowed Alice to enter the room. Margaret was sitting at the kitchen table, a needle and thread in her right hand, and a piece of white fabric on the table in front of her.

"Hello, Mother," Margaret smiled.

Alice forced a smile back, hoping that she was successfully masking her distrust.

"Please, sit down," Neil told her, nudging her forward to the chair opposite of Margaret.

"Do you want tea, Mother?" Margaret asked, already rising from her chair. "I just finished making some."

"Yes, thank you," Alice said.

Silence fell over them as Neil moved across the room and emptied his pipe into a tray. He was watching both women closely, almost as if he expected one of them to pounce on one another at any minute. He sat in the chair by the fire and pulled on his boots as Margaret placed a cup of tea in front of Alice. Margaret resumed her seat and picked up her sewing once again. She said nothing to Alice. Instead she watched as Neil crossed the room once more and pulled on his coat.

"Will you be late tonight, Mac?" Margaret asked.

"Not if I can help it," He said, smiling at her. "I should be home for dinner, and I'll send word to you if anything changes."

"Thank you," Margaret smiled. That had been one of the things she had hated about his being away when they had first come here. He would promise to be home, and then never show up, and she wouldn't know what had happened or if he was even alive. She had told Neil this a week ago when he had been late, and he had promised to always send word to her somehow from that point on.

He nodded and walked toward her. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"That's not going to hold you over all day," Margaret teased as if Alice wasn't in the room.

"You're absolutely right," Neil smiled, pulling her to her feet. "Come here."

She smiled giddily as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her firmly and passionately on the lips. Margaret kissed back, her arms linking behind his neck. Alice watched in shock. They had never been so openly affectionate with one another.

"I love you," Neil told her softly.

"And I love you," Margaret kissed his nose.

Neil released her. "Have a nice visit, ladies."

He caught Alice's eyes in his, sending her a pointed look.

"We will," Alice promised.

"Good."

He opened the door, smiled at Margaret once more and then the door closed firmly behind him, leaving mother and daughter alone in silence.

"I wondered how long it would take you to come," Margaret said, sinking back into her chair. "I was beginning to think you were avoiding me on purpose."

"I was," Alice admitted. "We did not part well last time."

"No," Margaret agreed. "We certainly did not."

Alice took a sip of her tea to keep her hands busy.

"I'm sorry," Margaret whispered.

Alice looked up at her quickly. "Margaret…"

"No, listen to me. I've been angry with you for so long, and I'm tired of feeling this way. It isn't doing any good for anyone. You were so young when you had me, and you had me much against your own choice. You were in the same situation Christy is in, except that Christy has David and support that you didn't have. But you kept me, and you did your best to make me happy. And all I could do was hate you. The real world hit me at full force, and I wasn't ready for it, and I blamed that completely on you. I was afraid, I had no idea what I was supposed to do or be, and all you had ever done was act more like a friend than a mother."

Alice looked down, putting her shaking hands in her lap.

"And then I met Neil, and he…" Margaret smiling, standing up and walking to the fireplace. She picked up Neil's pipe off the mantle and held it lovingly in her hands. "Neil knew more about the ways of the world than I had ever dreamed of knowing. He was so handsome, so smart, and he loved me. And I loved him more than I had ever loved anything in my life. Marrying him and coming out here was going to be this big adventure. A new life. I was going to see where he came from and become part of his world. But you followed me."

She looked at Alice over her shoulder, all the bitterness finally gone from her face and voice.

"Neil and I were happy, Mother. We were. But you were always there, making my new world yours too, and I didn't want you here. I was jealous and angry that you could become a part of this place. When I discovered I was pregnant, I was so excited. Neil and I were going to have something that was just ours, and I could focus my attention on something else. I knew you would become the doting, overly involved grandmother, but at the end of the day, you would go home, and it would just be me and Neil and our baby."

Alice heard Margaret's voice catch in her throat.

"When I lost the baby, I lost hope of ever having any sort of happiness that was just mine. It would always be taken away from me. I was in so much pain, and Neil became distant. And for the first time in a long time, I needed and wanted my mother. But you had your work and the mission, and I was alone. So I ran."

Alice stood and walked slowly toward Margaret, placing a hand on her shoulder. "When Neil told me about the fact that thee….that _you_ had lost a child, everything changed. I thought you were cruel, and selfish for leaving. I never even considered that I was the one being selfish. I wanted to be a part of your new life so badly, that I came here uninvited, and I suffocated the life out of you. You closed yourself in this cabin to avoid me, and that made you miserable. Then, when you needed me, I wasn't there. I've made a lot of mistakes. I didn't know how to be a mother, but I knew I wasn't doing it right. But my pride…"

Silence fell over them.

"You are my daughter, Margaret, and you have been the most important person in my world since the day I discovered I was carrying you. No matter what has happened, you always will be. I was wrong to tell you that you no longer had a place in my life. I was wrong, in so many ways. Will you ever forgive me?"

Margaret turned to her, tears flowing down her face. "As long as you'll forgive me."

Alice released a breath of air, smiling and taking her daughter's face in her hands. "Forgiveness is a gift given to us by God. I am not so worthy as to deny it to thee."

For the first time, Margaret didn't pull away from Alice's words about God. Instead she smiled softly. "You sound like Neil, except he does not say it quite as eloquently as you, Mother."

Alice smiled.

"I never believed that your God could have anything to do with me, but if He can change Neil, I'm willing to reconsider."

Alice placed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. There was a long journey ahead of them, but she had faith that God would heal their relationship and strengthen it for the years to come.


	12. The Beauty of the Truth

**Sorry about the delay! Life is a little crazy on my end! Ironically, I often find myself in the same predicaments as the characters I write about. Life right now has been no exception. I'm going to attempt to get a chapter out a week until I'm on Christmas break, and then we may have an explosion of chapters popping up everywhere. I apologize ahead of time for any errors! Enjoy and please R&R! Much love to you all!**

"What about this one?" Christy asked, handing David another short story. She had asked each of the children to write a scene about Thanksgiving that they would attempt to incorporate into their Thanksgiving play for the large gathering at the mission on Thanksgiving day.

David skimmed over it from his spot beside her on the loveseat. He smiled and laughed softly as he read it. Christy watched him, noticing the way his eyes lit up when he laughed. Her heart soared with love for this man that she would call her husband on Christmas Eve. "Well, it has the pilgrims and Squanto. The use of Plymouth Rock in this story is quite a twist, but you may be able to use the rest of it. Who wrote this one?"

"Creed," Christy smiled.

"Ah. That explains a lot of this."

Christy laughed. "I don't know what possessed me to think this would work. I should have just used the script from last year."

"I suppose you still can, but the children will be disappointed," David said, reaching for some of the others that sat on her shrinking lap. Her belly had grown quite a lot in the past couple of weeks. It was strange to think that February was less than four months away, and then the baby would be joining them and making them into a family.

"We've got it narrowed down to ten," Christy said. "Surely we can find something salvageable in here."

"I liked Becky's the most," David informed her, his arm resting on the back of the loveseat behind her. His fingers rested on her shoulder, drawing patterns on the top of her sleeve. "It was least violent."

Christy nodded. "Creed and the other boys did get a little carried away. I'm having trouble reining them in most days."

David frowned softly. "I haven't noticed it."

"Well, no. When Preacher comes in, they're perfect little angels."

"You've never had any trouble disciplining them before. I've always been proud of you for that. It shocked me when you asked me to leave you alone with them on your first day here."

"I know. But everything's changing, David. They do little rebellious things all day long, just to test me. I have a feeling that their parents have likely said some things about me and you and this baby that are making them question whether or not they can respect me."

"That's ridiculous. I hope that's not what has happened. Parents should know not to discuss matters like that in front of their children, especially about people who are important in their children's lives."

"I agree. But we're talking about families in one room cabins. Nothing is private."

"That's true. I really thought that all of this was blowing over since we're getting married in a few weeks," David sighed.

"I overheard the boys talking the other day about how their parents said I had ruined myself and ruined you in the process. I know the boys didn't fully understand what that meant, but it hurt to know that they were even think such things about us."

"They'll always love you, Christy, regardless of what anyone says. They absolutely adore you," David reached for her hand and leaned toward her to kiss her forehead. "And at least we know the truth."

Christy smiled. "That doesn't quite feel like enough though, does it?"

"No. I'll have this all taken care of before Thanksgiving, Christy."

"How?" Christy asked.

"I'm going to visit Uncle Bogg. And I think I'm going to take Neil with me. Maybe then, they'll listen."

Christy smiled. "I hope you're right."

David leaned over to kiss her. "I usually am."

Christy giggled. "I don't know how that's possible. Both of us can't be right, and I know I always am."

David nodded. "I know you are. I figure I can be right for a few more weeks until I'm married to you and I'll never be right again."

Christy shrugged. "I might let you win a few times."

David laughed, a grin over his entire face. "I cannot wait to be married to you, Christy Huddleston."

"I can't wait to be married to you, David Grantland."

He kissed her soundly on the lips and then on the nose before finally settling one on her forehead. "I'll be home later to finish my sermon. Send Alice or Ruby Mae for me if you need me."

"Alright. Bye, David. Be careful."

"Bye, my love."

Christy smiled as he disappeared out the door and then she looked back to the stories with new determination to find one that would work.

* * *

><p>"Hello, David," Margaret smiled as she opened the door to find David standing on their porch. "This is a surprise."<p>

"Good morning, Margaret. I hope you are having a wonderful Saturday."

"We are. Neil just got back from hunting. We're going to be eating squirrel and rabbit for a few days," Margaret said as she moved aside to let him in.

David smiled, looking around the tidy cabin. "Hopefully you'll be able to enjoy it better than we do when Ruby Mae cooks it."

Margaret laughed. "The poor girl. She's really going to have to learn."

"Fairlight has been trying to teach her," David nodded. "May I speak with Neil?"

"Of course," She moved toward the back room and knocked softly on the door. "Neil? David's here to see you, darling."

David waited. "He still won't let you in there?"

"Not right now. He's working on some experiment and doesn't want me around the chemicals."

"I see," David nodded as the door opened.

"Good morning, Grantland," Neil said as he stepped out.

"Good morning," David shook his hand.

"Is everything alright?" Neil asked.

"Yes. But I was hoping if you aren't too busy, you wouldn't mind helping me out with something."

Neil nodded. "I'd be glad too."

"Do you want some coffee, David?" Margaret asked.

"Yes, thank you," David smiled.

They all sat at the table with coffee.

David cleared his throat. "Christy has been having trouble with the children at school."

"What kind of trouble?" Neil asked.

"She says she's having problems getting them to respect her because of what has happened. She overhears them talking about what their parents are saying about both of us, and they aren't pleasant. Unfortunately, most of the things are about her and not as much about me."

Margaret laughed sarcastically. "Isn't that how it always works? A woman is compromised and society calls her ruined. A man compromises a woman and is forgiven because he's a man."

Neil nodded. "Sadly, that's true."

"I feel awful. I know that a lot of this is my fault because of what happened at church that Sunday. I should have known people would assume that the baby was mine."

"Well, the children have returned to school and everyone to church, so things must be a little better," Margaret commented.

"Mostly because they're getting married," Neil told her. "But that doesn't clear their names or regain respect. They're guilty until proven innocent."

David nodded. "All I know is that this is very hard on Christy, and I want it stopped before Thanksgiving. If there is any kind of scene, I don't know what it would do to her."

"It wouldn't be good. What do you want to do about it?" Neil asked him.

"I was hoping you would go with me to talk to Uncle Bogg. If people will listen to anyone besides me, it's you and Bogg."

"I'd be happy to. It's Saturday morning, so he's probably fishing," Neil stood. "I think I know exactly where he'll be."

David stood with him. "Thank you, Neil."

"With everything you and Christy have done for this cove, you both deserve a lot more respect and trust than what you're getting. I think Bogg will see that too, with some persuasion."

* * *

><p>"Hello, Bogg!" David greeted as he and Neil walked up behind Uncle Bogg who was fishing in the stream.<p>

"Howtie, Preacher and Doc!"

"How's the fishing, Bogg?" Neil asked.

"Water's turnin' mighty cold," Bogg informed him. "Reckon' if I stand here much longer my toes will break right off."

"Looks like you've caught a few."

Bogg nodded. "A few. What are you two doing out together?"

"We came to speak with you," David said, sitting down on a fallen tree on the bank.

Bogg looked at them suspiciously. "About?"

"The situation with Miss Huddleston and myself," David explained.

Bogg shook his head. "Naw…I don't wanna have nothin' to do with that. That's your business between the two of ya."

"Unfortunately, it's not, Bogg," Neil said, sitting down on the log a couple of feet away from David. "Their personal matters are being discussed all over this cove. And lies and rumors are spreading and it's causing problems in the schoolhouse with the children."

"I don't have nothing to do with that," Bogg insisted again. "And in the case of matters of truth and lies, I don't know what to believe."

"What have you heard?" David asked.

Bogg hesitated. "Now, I ain't spreadin' false witness against ye. I'm just telling ya what others are sayin."

David nodded. "I understand."

"I've heard that every time Miss Henderson is gone from the mission, you and the teacher…well, you know; live the way married couples do."

David sighed as Bogg continued, reeling in his line. "And you've been that way since that whole business with Doc and the teacher."

"Which didn't happen," Neil said firmly.

"I'm not saying it did. I'm not saying any of it did…except well, now Miss Huddleston's expecting and so there is evidence to say otherwise. That baby didn't come from nowhere, and the people are sayin that the best bet is the Preacher, seeing as how he loves her and is marryin' her and all."

Bogg put down his fishing pole and went to sit between the two men on the log.

"You know that it isn't true, Bogg," David said. "Christy and I would never do anything like that."

"Well, maybe I could help you out some if you tell me what did happen," Bogg said, rubbing his beard. "It couldn't hurt none."

"That's exactly what we were hoping to do," Neil said. "If you and the Spencers and McHones are battling the lies with the truth, maybe we can get this whole thing settled."

"Didn't ya say in church that day that Mr. Stone raped Christy?"

"Yes," David nodded. "That's exactly what happened."

"Then why didn't nobody do nothing about it while he was here?" Bogg asked.

"No one knew. She was too afraid to tell anyone. She didn't know what he would do."

"Well, that's believable and all. But if that baby isn't yours, then why are you marrying her?"

David smiled. "Because I'm in love with her."

Uncle Bogg was quiet for a while, looking David over. Then he looked to Neil for reaffirmation, which he received. He looked off into the horizon and David watched him, waiting for his reaction.

"It makes sense, I suppose. I can tell that you're telling the truth about loving the teacher. It's all over your face when ya talk bout her."

David nodded.

"I reckon I can help ya out by makin sure that gets spread around the cove again."

"Thank you, Uncle Bogg," David grinned, shaking the older man's hand. Neil smiled triumphantly as well.

"Ya done an awful lot for this Cove, Preacher. The way I sees it, I owe it to ya to respect ya and believe ya, and to help ya out when ya need it. Ya got a friend here, ya understand?"

David nodded. He knew he had just received a high honor to be officially recognized by Uncle Bogg as a friend. Perhaps with a little help, his and Christy's reputations still had hope of being salvaged.


	13. Where I Belong

As soon as David and Neil left the cabin, Margaret set off for the mission. She felt in great need of a woman's companionship, and instead of feeling sorry for herself as she had done in the past, she decided to do something about it. A light smile settled on her lips as she walked along, crunching over leaves, and feeling the fresh cool air whip her hair around. Neil would scold her for not wearing more clothing, so in regard to his wishes, she unfolded her shawl and placed it up on top of her black curls, letting it drape down around her shoulders.

Their time together was endlessly good. In the mornings, he awakened her with a kiss and told her of his plans for the day while they went through their morning routines. Hearing about his day helped her to feel more involved and less alone while he was away. When he returned in the evenings, he listened to her account of her day with as much interest as if what she did was actually a great adventure. He valued her and what she did for him and for herself, and he made an effort to tell her so. Their nights were passionate and warm, and she always fell asleep in the safety of his arms. She felt truly loved and important for the first time in a very long time.

Of course they argued. They wouldn't be Neil and Margaret MacNeill if they didn't argue. But the arguments were resolved and forgiven. She found it nearly impossible to hold anything against him. He always made sure to calm himself down before they ended up in yelling matches, and she was making an equal effort to do so.

Margaret knew that he was concerned for her health. That was their biggest point of argument. She knew that she was not fully healed, but was beginning to accept that she would never be. This was her new life and she was learning to find a new normal. Her illness had weakened her, but she rarely let it bother her. But he of course noticed when she grew tired, or couldn't quite lift the water to fill the dishpan. Her breathing at times was hard to fully catch, and her hands were thin and frail. She could hide nothing from her husband, who was also her doctor, and she knew that she could ask no less of him.

The wind picked up, tossing a flurry of leaves around her skirts. She breathed in deeply of the fall air, or at least attempted to, before she fell into a coughing fit. At the end of it, she leaned against a tree, catching her breath. She refused to let fear take hold of her. It was just a simple cough, and her weak lungs had over reacted out of habit.

Margaret pushed herself onward, the mission coming into view. She could see Fairlight and Alice pulling down the last of the laundry from the lines, and Ruby Mae was sweeping the porch steps. They hadn't seen her yet, and she reveled in her undiscovered position for a few minutes. Her mother was listening to Fairlight talk about something, a smile on her face. She offered a few words to the other woman, and then threw her head back and laughed hard about something, her hand pressing her chest in the process. Fairlight's smile widened as she shook her head and bent to pick up her laundry basket. Fairlight saw her then, and Alice turned toward her with a hesitant smile.

Margaret resumed her approach, waving at them and smiling brightly.

"Hello, Mother," Margaret greeted her. "How are you, Fairlight and Ruby Mae?"

"Fine, thank you, Mrs. MacNeill," Fairlight nodded to her. "Are you and Doc doing alright?"

"Just perfect, thank you," Margaret smiled.

"I was not expecting to see you today," Alice greeted her. "What a pleasant surprise!"

Margaret let Alice hug her quickly. "Well, David came and stole Neil from me for a couple of hours, so I figured I would do the same to him. I need some female company anyway. Neil's a sweetheart, but he just doesn't understand the way I think sometimes."

Fairlight laughed softly. "No, and the men never will. Nor will we understand them, I suppose."

"We're just finishing the laundry," Alice smiled. "Why don't you come in and work on the quilt we are making for David and Christy with us? Opal should be here any moment to help too."

"Sounds wonderful. Is Christy here?"

"I'm right here," Christy smiled, coming out onto the porch.

Margaret smiled up at her new friend and moved toward her. When she reached the top steps, Christy reached for her hands.

"I'm so glad you're here, Margaret. I've been missing you, but David will not let me wander over to your cabin without him and he's been too busy for me to ask him."

"Well, I can understand his reasoning," Margaret laughed softly, looking down at Christy's expanding abdomen. "Look at you."

Christy grinned. "I look a little ridiculous, don't I?"

"Not at all," Margaret shook her head. "Motherhood suits you."

Christy smiled and wrapped her arm through Margaret's arm. "Come work on my quilt with us."

"Are you supposed to know about the quilt?" Margaret asked.

"No," Christy laughed and then looked around and lowered her voice to a whisper. "But we both know that if Ruby Mae knows about something it won't be a secret for long."

"That's very true," Margaret smiled as they made it into the living area. "What are all of these papers?"

Christy looked to her scattered stacks, giggling softly. "That is what David and I are attempting to form into the script for the Thanksgiving play."

"You're running out of time," Margaret warned her.

"Yes, I know. Don't remind me."

The other women joined them shortly after, Fairlight and Ruby Mae carrying in tea and cookies, and Opal arriving with a basket full of fabric.

"I gathered some more scraps from Aunt Hattie. Swannie sent over this blue cloth too. They should finish the last row just real pretty," Opal explained as she pulled out her fabric treasures.

Everyone "oohhed" and "ahhed" over the new pieces as Alice carried in the quilt.

"Oh, this is just lovely," Margaret smiled.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Christy smiled. "I feel so blessed. It's so wonderful to truly belong somewhere."

Margaret looked over at her, a light smile spreading across ever feature of her as an idea struck her. She would speak to Neil about it as soon as she returned home. Joy and excitement filled her heart with this new thought. God was blessing her heart beyond what she deserved. She looked around at the group of women, feeling like she belonged, and was nearly moved to tears when Alice reached over and squeezed her hand.

"We're glad you're here with us, Margaret," Alice assured her softly, and Margaret smiled at her mother.

"I'm glad I'm here too," Margaret said, squeezing her mother's hand in return.


	14. When Darkness Falls

**I am so sorry for the delay. I have no excuse, at least not one that would satisfy you. One of my favorite people in the entire world is home from basic training before he leaves for a two-year deployment, so my heart and mind have been elsewhere. I have to get this story back on track in order for our Thanksgiving chapter to be on time, so this week we will do that! Are you ready?**

**Read and Review, lovelies!**

Christy smiled as she stood on the steps watching the children play at recess. She glanced down the hill to see Margaret riding up. Christy waved as Margaret tied up the horse and walked toward her. She stopped on her way and picked up little LouLou Spencer who had started school this year. Margaret laughed at something the little girl said, throwing her head back and letting her laugh drift through the air. Christy admired her beauty. Margaret smiled brilliantly, then touched her finger to the LouLou's button nose before putting her down. LouLou walked hand in hand with Margaret toward the school and Margaret looked around at the other children, with a look that Christy could swear was deep longing.

"Mrs. MacNeill!" Toot said, running toward Margaret. "Look what I found!"

Margaret knelt in front of the small boy, peaking into the little boys' hands. "What is it?"

"A little bunny. His leg is broken!"

Toot sounded like he was about to cry.

"Well, let me see him…" Margaret said softly, scratching the frightened rabbit's ears. "I don't know much about doctoring, Toot, but if you go find him a nice box and make him comfortable, I promise to take him home to Doctor MacNeill and have him take a look at the little thing."

Toot nodded and ran off toward the mission house and Fairlight, who was hanging up laundry. Margaret watched him for a minute before walking toward Christy, who had sat down on the steps.

"Hello, Christy."

"I didn't know you were coming to see us today," Christy smiled as Margaret sat beside her.

"Neil sent me over with the supplies Mother said the mission house was in need of. They're in my saddle bag. He thought I might want something to do today," She laughed softly.

"Well, we greatly appreciate the extra trip," Christy informed her.

"It was a good reason to come and stop to see the children."

"Oh, speaking of the children, come see the beautiful artwork they are working on for decorating at Thanksgiving," Christy said excitedly, pushing herself up to her feet.

Margaret followed her inside the school to see artwork hanging on a makeshift clothesline, the paint drying slowly. Margaret took her time looking over each one, commenting on and admiring the colors.

"Where did you get paint?" Margaret wondered.

"When Miss Alice and I went to visit Dan's family, Dan's fiance showed me how to make paints out of berries and leaves, using them for pigment."

"How clever! I never would have thought of such a thing."

Christy nodded. "It was wonderful to share ideas with a teacher who is in a similar financial predicament with her school."

"Here! Mrs. MacNeill!" Toot's voice sounded as he bounded into the schoolhouse. "Here's the bunny rabbit!"

Margaret smiled and reached gently for the box that the rabbit now rested safely inside of. "Thank you for making him comfortable, Toot. I'm sure Dr. MacNeill will have him hopping around in no time."

"Why can't you do anything? Don't ya know how to do doctorin' too?"

"No," Margaret said simply. "I don't."

"Well, ya should. So you can do stuff when he ain't here. If somebody gets sick who gonna help when Doc and Dan ain't around?"

Margaret grew silent, patting the boy on the shoulder. Christy could tell that Margaret was deep in thought, and she dismissed Toot.

"Margaret? Are you alright?" Christy asked.

"Yes, I just had a thought…"

Christy waited to see if she would indulge her further.

"Maybe he's right. It wouldn't hurt for me to learn simple medical procedures. I could act as a nurse to help both of them, and if Neil and Dan are away, Mother will have someone else here to help her."

Christy smiled brightly. "I think that is a wonderful idea! It would be so helpful! You could even learn some basic midwifery."

Margaret nodded, her face lighting up. "And it would help fill my spare time more."

Christy was growing more excited by the moment. "Oh, you must ask Neil!"

"I will. I'll ask him tonight," Margaret smiled. "It would be so wonderful to work alongside him."

* * *

><p>Margaret watched as Neil sat at the table working on the rabbit's leg. He was concentrating deeply, but Margaret was so excited about her idea, that she couldn't wait to ask him about the idea that had occurred to her earlier in the day.<p>

"Neil?"

"Hmm?" He mumbled, not looking up.

"Christy and I had a thought today…"

"That entire sentence scares me," He chuckled softly.

"Neil, be serious," Margaret scolded with a small smile. "I was thinking that maybe you could teach me a few things about nursing."

"Why?" He asked softly.

"So that I can help out with whatever you need and take care of the minor things that come up if you are gone."

"That's why Dan is here."

"Yes, but there are plenty of times when you are both gone, as well as Mother. I was thinking that if I knew some basics, I could help out until one of you could arrive."

"No."

Margaret frowned. "Why not?"

"No, I'm not going to teach you anything about medicine."

"Why in the world not, Neil? It makes practical sense."

"No, what it does is put you at risk of doing something that you would regret. There is no way I could possible teach you enough 'basics' for you to know what to do in a real situation."

"I am perfectly capable."

He scoffed, still keeping his eyes on the fuzzy patient in front of him.

"Neil! I want you to take that back. You know I am capable of learning."

"Yes, I know. But I don't want to put you in that situation. You have no idea what kind of stress it is to have someone's life depending on you. When we fail to save them…Margaret, I am not putting you into that situation. Not to mention the fact that we are trying for a baby and putting you around medicine and high stress is not a good idea."

Margaret's frown deepened. "Neil, that is the most ridiculous excuse I have ever heard."

"That may be, but it's my reasoning, and I'm standing by it."

"Well, then I'll ask Dan."

He looked up at her for the first time, slowly putting the rabbit back in the box and standing to his full height. "Margaret, I am warning you now, that if you go against me you will regret it."

"Are you threatening me? Are we back to that again?"

"No. I am simply telling you that defying me will not be a wise decision. I have come quite far in controlling my temper, but don't tempt me."

Margaret stepped closer to him, their faces mere inches apart. "You know what I think? I think you're afraid of sharing all of yourself with me because you are still afraid I'm going to leave. You had your medicine to turn to before, but if I taint that part of your life too, there will be no escape."

He fell silent, staring at her with fire in his eyes.

"Ah, so I'm right," She whispered, ice on the tip of her tongue, biting at him as her breath blew across his lips. "I know you too well, Mac. Don't try to hide your true feelings from me. I see straight through you."

"Margaret…"

"No, Neil. Keep your darling medicine. I don't really want it anyway. It definitely can't save every life, can it?"

His heart nearly shattered with the reference to their lost baby. They had taken so many steps forward, and now another giant step back. Darkness was threatening to spread over their home once again.

She stepped back suddenly, glaring at him, and then turned, fleeing up the stairs. The bedroom door slammed with a resonating thud, the cabin shaking from the impact.


	15. Far Away

**First of all, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I also want to thank you for your reviews and support. And thank you for your prayers regarding my very favorite Navy sailor. Your support is felt very deeply and it means more than you will ever know.**

**I do not own these characters, though I wish I did. Read and review! Thank you!**

Neil lay on his back watching the candle light flicker on the ceiling above the bed. His head rested on his bent arm, his other hand fingering the edge of the quilt where it rested on his bare chest. Margaret was at the foot of the bed, sitting on top of the wooden chest, her knees drawn up to her chin. She held herself tightly, watching him, taking in every detail of his face and red curls, his chiseled chest and muscular arms and the light hair that covered the rest of him. He was breathing evenly, and they were quiet. She shivered, only one of his flannel shirts clothing her.

He had followed her to the bedroom an hour before after bedding down the rabbit for the night, banking the fire, and securing everything. He'd taken the stairs slowly, them creaking under his weight as he went. When he'd opened their bedroom door, she had been sitting at the vanity, slowly brushing her hair. Tears had been pouring down her face, and she had refused to meet his gaze in the reflection of the mirror. He'd moved quickly toward her, kneeling next to her and turning her toward him.

Neil hadn't said anything, just pressed his lips to hers and kissed the daylight out of her. She'd fought him at first, and then given in as his hands had crept over her body. Passion took over, melting together with the anger and the tears, and they quickly had found themselves taking part in their usual activities of love and passion. When it was over, she had breathlessly pulled away and stood, reaching for his discarded shirt and pulling it on. Finally he had spoken.

"Margaret."

"Hush, Neil," she'd whispered. "Don't talk."

"I have to explain."

"You should have done that before."

"You didn't give me a chance before you ran up here and hid from me."

"You should have explained when you finally came up here."

"I tried to show you."

She'd turned toward him. "Neil, we cannot ignore our problems and cover them up with that. We'll only crash and burn."

He'd nodded. "I know. I just…I didn't have words. I still don't. Except that you have misunderstood."

She'd then assumed her position on top of the trunk and he'd fallen onto his back to stare at the ceiling in silence. At last he sat up, the quilt falling to his waist. Her eyes stayed on him, waiting for him to speak.

"You were far away for too long to allow this distance between us while in the same room."

"Then bridge the gap, Neil," Margaret told him softly.

"You'll have to meet me in the middle."

She nodded.

"I know you don't feel that my reasons for refusing to teach you to practice medicine are adequate. But let me explain them further."

"Alright. But then you have to listen to my side."

"That's the only way our sides will be able to meet," Neil agreed. "I would give up anything for you, Margaret. But I will not give you up for anyone. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Not completely."

"You have spent the last year on death's doorstep. It is by some miracle that you are here and well now. I don't have any intentions of pushing you back out there. You are not yourself yet, Margaret. I don't know if you ever will be."

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine. I see you when you don't think I'm looking. You struggle to catch your breath sometimes. You can barely lift anything heavy. You are thin, frail, and on some days you still look white as a ghost."

"Mac…"

"Please, let me finish, Love," he whispered. "I don't want to expose you to the illnesses of this Cove, and teaching you to practice medicine would be inviting you to do so. There will be no avoiding it. You are not fully recovered, and you will get sick so very easily. And something as small as a common cold will threaten your life."

Margaret looked down. She knew he was right.

He moved toward her, sitting on the end of the bed on his knees. He reached out and cradled her face in his hand, moving it so that she was looking at him once more.

"It took so much for me to go ahead and agree to try for another baby. Having a baby right now is dangerous for your body, but I know you are determined and I am willing to try. Please do not ask me to allow you to risk your life in this way as well. Please do not ask me to risk losing you anymore than I already am."

"Mac…" She sputtered through new tears. "I didn't realize…"

"I know," He told her, nodding.

"I didn't realize that it was so much of a risk."

"I should have been honest with you about it from the beginning; about having a baby and everything. I should have told you. I was trying to protect you from the worry and stress I am feeling about it all."

"We have to share all of this, Neil," Margaret insisted. "We have to."

He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I'll be more open with you, if you promise to be honest with me about what is going on with your body. You try to hide it from me, I know you do."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I. I don't want to lose you, darling. You know, I love you, I want you to stay, and I want you to know that I'm not leaving you. I'm going to hold onto you with everything that I have."

She kissed him. "I've loved you for so much of my life that I barely remember a time when I didn't. I want it to always be that way."

He smiled, running a hand down her back and through her curls. "Come to bed. You need sleep."

She crawled into the bed and under the covers with him after he blew out the candle. "Neil, I would like to learn some things though. I want to be able to help that little rabbit like you did tonight. I need to know the basics for cleaning and bandaging wounds. For our safety and the safety of our future family, it would be best, don't you think?"

He nodded. "I can manage that."

"Thank you." She smiled and pressed her lips to his stubble covered chin. "Goodnight, handsome man."

He grinned and pulled her close.

* * *

><p>Christy felt two arms sneak around her middle as she made sure every last item was in place for the Thanksgiving skit in the schoolhouse. She smiled and leaned back into David, feeling his lips press to her temple.<p>

"You know someone could walk in here at any moment," she warned him.

"That makes it more exciting, don't you think?" He teased, earning a laugh from his beloved.

"I suppose it does." She smiled. "Does everything look right to you?"

"Absolutely perfect from where I'm standing," He told her and she craned her head back to see that his eyes had not left her.

"David," She giggled. "That is not at all what I meant."

"Everything looks great," He smiled. "And Fairlight, Alice, Margaret and Ruby Mae have everything in order outside. The weather is wonderful, my lovely future wife is absolutely glowing, and food is on the table. We are ready for guests to arrive."

"Wonderful. I'm starving," She admitted.

It was David's turn to laugh. "You never would have admitted that to me a few months ago."

"Proof that I love you, I suppose," She told him. "And that I'm carrying a growing baby."

He nodded and noise outside drew their attention. He released her and settled for holding her hand.

"It sounds like they are arriving," David told her.

The couple made their way outside hand in hand. An hour later, Christy found herself sitting in between David and Margaret, Neil on Margaret's other side and Dan and Aunt Hattie next to him. Alice, Fairlight, Jeb, their children and the McHones sat across from them. Ruby Mae had happily seated herself next to Rob Allen. The skit, which the children had decided to get out of the way before the meal, had not been perfect, but it had earned proud laughter and applause from their parents. Christy wouldn't have had it any other way.

Happy chatter scattered around the table, and Christy remembered back to past Thanksgivings. This was the first without her parents. She missed them, but their impending arrival in a week's time, currently did nothing but frighten her. Nevertheless, she realized that she had a new family growing around her. She had a mother in Miss Alice, a sister in Margaret, and forever friendships with Neil and Fairlight. And of course, the love of her life sat next to her. They smiled at one another.

"It looks like another successful Thanksgiving, Miss Huddleston," He told her.

"That it does, Mr. Grantland," She grinned.

She turned her head to see Neil sneaking a kiss to Margaret's nose. She thanked God silently for His perfect timing and for bringing Margaret back. Christy sighed contentedly, listening to Neil and Margaret discussing something with Alice, and was drifting into a happy state of sleepiness when thundering hooves pounded behind them. Everyone turned to see Bird's Eye riding in.

"Doc!" Bird's Eye shouted. "Doc MacNeill!"

Neil and David both rose.

"What is it, Bird's Eye?" Neil asked.

"Your cabin!" Bird's Eye shouted. "It's on fire!"

Everyone immediately leapt into action, Margaret jumping up out of her chair. Neil was immediately rushing for their horse, the other men following him.

"Neil!" Margaret called in panic.

"Stay here with Christy and your mother. You don't need to be around the smoke," He told her, turning toward her from his horse's back.

Christy immediately wrapped her arm around Margaret, and Neil and the other men rode off. They could see the black smoke curling up just over the trees.

"Oh, God…" Margaret breathed out. "Please no…"

Alice was at her other side then. "Come, Margaret, we shall all pray for their safety."

Margaret numbly stared at the ground beneath her feet as the other women gathered around her and began to pray. All she could feel was a deep panic rising up inside her, clenching her heart in fear. Just when everything was falling into place, their lives had once again been caught up in flames.

* * *

><p>"Neil?" Margaret asked softly, stepping over the blackened rubble of their home to where he sat knelt in the middle. He was filthy, and his shoulders sagged with loss. "Neil?"<p>

Her thin left hand rested on his right shoulder when she came to him, and he immediately covered it in his own larger one, his thumb running over her wedding ring.

"Everything's gone." His voice was deep, pain-filled.

She nodded, even though he wasn't looking at her. Dan, David and Jeb were still stamping out small flames, their clothes and skin black with grime. Their entire cabin was reduced to a pile of ashes. The only thing they had left were the clothes on their backs. A sob rose up in her throat, and it came out in a strangled loud noise, that she attempted to hide. Neil immediately stood to his feet and turned toward her, taking her in his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried. He pressed his lips into her hair and she felt him shaking with his own quiet sobs.

"We're fine," He whispered at last. She wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself. "We're going to be fine."

She clung to him desperately. "Neil…"

"We're fine," He whispered again.

"Neil, I was going to have a surprise for you tonight. I…I..."

"Shh… it doesn't matter now," Neil assured her. "Everything's going to be fine."

She shook her head, pulling back just enough so that she could see his face. She was pale and shaking and he had tear streaks down his face where the tear had washed away the black soot. "You have to let me tell you, because I'm scared and I need you to know."

"What?" He asked.

"I think I'm pregnant, Neil."

**So there you have it. What do you think? How did you feel about Neil's reasoning for denying Margaret her desires to work with him? What will Neil and Margaret do now? Will their still rebuilding relationship survive the destruction of the cabin that has been in Neil's family for generations and has housed and witnessed everything that has happened to them? **

**The next chapters will include the much awaited arrival of Christy's parents. I cannot wait for you to experience everything that is unfolding in those scenes!**


	16. Of Loss and Love

**I don't own these characters. Please leave a review and a big thank you to everyone who is reading this. If you could just take a moment to leave a review, you have no idea how much I will appreciate that. Thank you!**

Neil barely got a chance to digest her words and react before David, Dan and Jeb were approaching them.

"I'm really sorry we couldn't save it, Doc," Jeb started, his hat in his hands.

Neil turned to them, his arm around Margaret's waist. "We tried, Jeb. I appreciate your help."

"I know how hard this is," Dan said, looking around. "Not long ago I was looking at my own pile of ashes."

David patted Dan on the shoulder. "We'll help rebuild your cabin just as we did Dan's."

Neil smiled faintly. "That means a lot to me. Thank you."

"All of this is replaceable," Margaret added. "We'll start over again. This seems to be a year of new beginnings anyway."

Neil looked at her, pulling her closer. "We're going to be fine."

"You're going to stay at the mission, of course," David told them. "We have enough spare rooms."

"What about Christy's parents?" Margaret asked. "Aren't they arriving soon?"

"Yes. The mission will definitely be full, but that's exactly what it's meant for. Christy and Alice will be thrilled to have you both there."

"If anyone needs me," Neil turned to Jeb and Dan. "I'll be at the mission until further notice."

"Is there anything else you need?" Jeb asked.

"Not tonight. Go on home," Neil shook both of their hands. "And thank you again."

Jeb and Dan headed off together and then Neil, Margaret and David made sure there was nothing else still burning before heading off in the fading sunlight to the mission. They were silent as their horses plodded over the fallen leaves, Margaret riding securely in front of Neil. Butterflies filled her stomach.

"This will be the closest and longest proximity that Mother and I have had in a very long time," Margaret spoke at last. "I want to warn you that it might not always be pleasant, but I will try."

David turned to them from where he rode in front on the path. "This may be good for your relationship with her, Margaret."

"Or it could be horrible."

"Well, in any case, Christy will be glad to have your company. They've been working hard to prepare for the wedding, and she will be grateful to have an extra pair of hands. And I'll be glad to have you around, Doc. You can help me keep an eye on Christy and convince her not to overextend herself."

Neil remained silent and Margaret placed her hand over his thigh, trying to bring him some source of comfort for his aching heart. She regretted springing her suspicions of being pregnant on him when she had, but she had been overwhelmed and unable to hold it back. She was unsure if she was expecting or not, but had a feeling that she was and knew that Neil would want to confirm as soon as they were alone again. For now, she had no idea what her husband was thinking.

Alice and Christy met them on the porch steps when they arrived at the mission house, just as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. The schoolyard had been cleaned up except for the long tables which would need to be taken down the next day. Christy was the first down the steps, and David immediately got down from Prince's back and took her in his arms.

"It's all gone," Neil announced gravely as he got down and then raised his arms to lift Margaret down from the saddle. "We lost everything."

"Oh, Neil…" Christy gasped. "Margaret… I'm so sorry."

"We'll rebuild," Margaret assured her, forcing a smile.

Alice took her daughter in her arms. "We will all help in any way that we can. Until then, thee will be staying here, right?"

"We don't have much of a choice," Neil told her, and then softened his tone. "I'm sorry, Alice. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful."

"I know," Alice touched her son-in-law's arm. "Thee has suffered a great loss."

"You're chilled to the bone," Christy told David, reaching for his hands. "Come inside."

They all moved indoors. Alice went to help Ruby Mae begin heating water for the men to bathe in. Neil and David stood by the fire, Neil staring into the flames. Both of them were exhausted, but far too filthy to sit on the furniture. Christy took Margaret upstairs and showed her to the bedroom she and Neil would occupy.

"You are sharing a bedroom, correct?" Christy asked as soon as they were in the bedroom. "I don't want to assume anything."

"Of course," Margaret nodded. "We have been since the beginning."

Christy nodded, looking down. "I'm never really sure how to discuss such matters now. I'm unmarried, but obviously I'm not what anyone could call pure. This baby proves that."

Margaret turned to her with sympathy. "I had not thought about that, Christy. We are two very different people when it comes to sex and all of that. It was never important to me, so I didn't think of it. I am sorry. It must be difficult."

Christy giggled softly. "My mother never allowed us to even utter the word. If it must be uttered at all it was 'sect.'"

Margaret smiled. "I've always been too bluntly honest about those things. I'm sure Mother or Neil has told you that I referred to myself as a 'bastard child.'"

"Yes. David and I have both decided that our child will not know the circumstances of its birth. We do not see a point in disclosing that information because both of us are going to be present. David will be the only father he or she will ever know."

"That is probably wise. Mother had to explain to me in some way why I did not have a father. Your child will be fortunate."

"And very loved," Christy added, her hand running over the wooden post of the bed, a content smile on her rosy face. "I'll go to my room and find some clothing items that you can wear. I'm not wearing most of my clothes right now. I've had to sew new ones with Fairlight's help."

"Thank you," Margaret smiled at her.

Neil and Alice came in soon after. He was carrying one of the metal bathtubs, and Alice had two pails of steaming water. After the water was poured in the tub, Alice gave her daughter a kiss on top of her head and left the room.

"Christy is coming right back with some clothing items for me," Margaret told him. "You might want to wait before stripping down."

Neil couldn't help but chuckle as he sat in the chair in the corner and started removing his boots. "Yes, that might be a good idea."

A knock came and Margaret opened the door for Christy to come in. She had several clothing items which she placed on the bed.

"David sent some things for you too, Neil. I know you aren't exactly the same size, but it's the best we can do right now. We'll have to sort through some of the clothing bins downstairs tomorrow for more things."

"Thank you, Christy," Neil said, as Christy and Margaret placed the items on the bed.

"Not a problem. I'm so sorry for all of this. I wish there was more we could do," She looked at both of them with tears in her eyes. "You both are some of my dearest friends and I hate to see you in hardship."

"We will get through it, Christy," Neil assured her, reaching out and placing a hand on her arm. "Do not worry so much. It isn't any good for anyone, especially you."

She nodded and then hugged Margaret. "Sleep well."

"Goodnight," Margaret told her and then the door closed.

Neil silently undressed and lowered himself into the tub. He reached for the bar of soap and began scrubbing himself down as Margaret undressed. When she was in the warm, flannel nightgown that Christy had loaned her, she sat down on the bed. Neither of them had spoken.

"Mac...are you alright?" Margaret asked.

He looked at her, nodding softly, and then shaking his head. "No."

She was surprised when his shoulders started to shake and tears began to fall. She moved quickly to him, kneeling beside the tub and wrapping her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to the side of his head and he leaned into her.

"Neil, darling…" She soothed. "Shh…"

He slowly calmed down. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, releasing her hold on him.

"That cabin meant a lot more to me than it probably should have."

"You were born in that cabin, Neil. We lived there together…there were so many memories. I know that losing that place hurts. I feel it too."

"It's not just the cabin. How in the world am I supposed to provide for you without even having a roof to put over our heads."

"We're going to be fine here until the spring when we can rebuild."

"That's not the same thing. That means relying on someone else to care for us. I can't do that."

"Neil, I know it's not the same, but it's not as if we have any other options. And it doesn't matter to me where we are, or if we have absolutely nothing. We're together and that's what matters."

He sighed heavily, running a wet hand through his dripping hair.

"We vowed to love each other through this, and I will love you through it, Neil MacNeill. And I'm not going to think any less of you because we need help from someone else. I know that you're doing your best. Do you understand?"

He nodded.

"Neil…look at me."

He slowly met her gaze and she placed a hand on the side of his face. "I love you."

"And I love you," He whispered, pressing his lips to hers.

"Get out of that water before you get cold," She told him, standing and going to the bed. She slipped between the covers and waited for him to join her.

When he did, he slipped an arm around her middle. "Margaret…"

"Hmmm?" She asked through her sleepy state.

"What you said earlier…at the cabin…about a baby…"

She turned to him, fully alert again. "Yes."

"Are you certain?"

"No. I need you to confirm it."

"I will first thing tomorrow," Neil told her. "If you are…then I want you to know that I'm extremely happy, despite our current circumstances. And if not, then we'll keep trying, with or without a home."

"My home is wherever you are," She assured him.

* * *

><p>David found Christy sitting in the rocking chair in front of the fire when he returned from his bath. She had her hands resting protectively across her belly and she rocked gently back and forth. She seemed to be deep in thought, and he approached her slowly so he wouldn't scare her. He knelt in front of her, placing his hands over hers and she raised tear-filled eyes to meet his.<p>

"What is it, Love?" He asked. "Why the tears?"

"I don't understand why bad things keep happening to them," Christy told him. "And I guess I'm just angry right now."

"I don't have any answers for why things like this happen…" David replied. "But I know that God promises to work everything out for the good of those who love Him. Neil has a new love for God growing in his heart."

"But why risk it? Why put his fragile faith in danger? Couldn't God have stopped it so that Neil's faith could grow more before something bad happened?"

David smiled softly. "Maybe this is exactly what needed to happen to strengthen Neil's faith and to capture Margaret's heart as well. They're going to have to rely on Him to get through this. This may be exactly what they need."

Christy sighed. "It just seems so cruel to me. I still don't understand why God allowed me to be raped. I'm giving my entire life for His purpose. Why did he let that happen? Why does he allow so much pain to fill my heart?"

"I don't know, Christy."

"I still wake up with nightmares every night. I try to convince everyone that I am fine, but I'm not, David. I'm still afraid of being alone. I'm still heartbroken about all of it. And sometimes…sometimes I don't even want this baby because of where it came from."

David's face filled with pain and concern. "Christy, why have you not told me any of this?"

She pushed herself up, forcing him away. "Because I didn't want you to worry…and because I'm ashamed of feeling that way."

He watched as she crossed the room to the window. Her hands pressed into her lower back and she let out a slow breath of air. He stood and went to her, pulling her close.

"It's my favorite job to worry about you and take care of you, Christy. You are my entire world, and I love you. Please don't push me away or keep anything from me. I want to share my whole life with you, and I want all of yours too."

She leaned her head against his chest.

"I know this is hard on you. You have to endure far more than a person should be asked to endure. But you are doing it with grace and faith and I admire you so much for it. I know you are tired and feel weak at times, but that's why I am here with you; to love and support you. I will never leave you or let you go through anything alone. When you need me by your side that is where I will be, for the rest of my days. I love you, Christy, every part of you."

She leaned her head back to look at him, tears pouring down her face. He smiled at her softly, kissing her tears away.

"The best day of my life was the day you fell into my arms in the pouring rain. I've spent every day since ready and willing to catch you again. Let me, Christy. Let me pick you up when you fall."

"Can you hold me now?" She whispered.

"Absolutely," He nodded, moving with her to the loveseat and pulling her onto his lap. She laid her head in the crook of his neck, her hand on his chest, and his arms wrapped around her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"This isn't very proper," She admitted at last.

"It feels fine to me," He said. "Stop worrying about the rest of the world and just focus on us."

She did, drifting off to sleep in the arms of her beloved.

* * *

><p>As they all sat at breakfast on Saturday morning, Christy was shaking with apprehension. Her parents were set to arrive on the train that morning and would call as soon as they did, and on top of the fear of their reaction to her pregnancy, she was beginning to worry about whether or not they would make it safely through the snow that had fallen the night before. When she tried to butter her biscuit, her hands were shaking so badly that David reached out and took over for her.<p>

"Christy, have you eaten lately?" Neil asked, watching her.

"Last night," She said.

"You hardly ate anything at dinner," David reminded her. "Your stomach was bothering you, remember?"

She nodded.

"You likely have a case of low blood sugar. You should eat more before you pass out on us," Neil told her.

"I…"She shook her head. "I can't. I don't think I would be able to keep it down."

Margaret spoke up next. "Maybe you can drink some tea. It will help ease your stomach. I know it helps a great deal with morning sickness. It helps me…or it did, I mean."

Neil looked over at her, smiling softly at her and resting his hand over hers. They shared a look that Christy was sure she would have fun prodding into if she could focus on it.

"Ruby Mae, can you brew some more tea for Christy please?" David asked.

Ruby Mae nodded and disappeared into the kitchen just as the phone rang. Christy jumped a foot and David stood quickly, Christy rising and rushing to his side. She clung to his arm as he stepped into the hallway and answered the phone.

"Cutter Gap Mission, this is David Grantland," He answered, and then smiled. "Hello, Sir… Yes, we are all here at the mission and Christy is very anxious to see you."

He grinned down at her as he said it, and after receiving a glare from her, leaned over and pressed his lips to the top of her head to melt her anger away.

"Would you like Doctor MacNeill and I to come meet you?... Well, I just thought that the snow might be a hindrance…alright, yes sir. We will see you in a few hours."

He hung up the phone and Christy leaned back against the wall, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"They're going to get stuck in the snow somewhere."

"He insisted that they would be fine. I promise that if they aren't here in a few hours, Neil and I will go search for them."

Christy sighed.

"Christy, look at me," David put his hands on her arms. "No matter what happens or how they react, we're going to be fine. I promise. Everything is going to turn out just as it should."

His words calmed her for a short time, but as the time ticked by and they all moved to the parlor, she became increasingly anxious. David was sitting at the desk working on his sermons, Neil was filling out medical supply orders, and Margaret was knitting something in the rocking chair by the fire. Christy attempted to work on her lesson plans for the following week, but she couldn't focus. She soon took to pacing and looking out the window.

"Christy, you are making all of this addition very difficult," Neil scolded softly. "I keep counting how many times you are walking back and forth instead of the number of bandages I am ordering."

"I'm sorry," She sighed, pausing by David's chair.

David reached up and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. "You need to relax. God has this all planned out."

"Mother is going to kill me," Christy sighed, burying her face in David's chest.

"At first she is going to panic, but once everything is explained, they will accept it. We have everything under control and the only thing they can do is go along with it."

"Or pack my bags and force me onto the next train."

"They're not taking you anywhere," Neil spoke up. "You're too close to your due date for traveling. You're almost seven months along."

"You will have to fight with them on that, Neil, I can promise you that."

"And I'll win, too," Neil said, looking back to the figures in front of him.

"Mothers tend to over react," Margaret agreed. "I can only imagine how mine would respond to such a situation."

"I'm mostly worried about what will happen when they discover that it was Mr. Stone who did it. Father has business interests with him and has already scolded me for being rude to him and cutting off ties with him when he was here. They just have no idea as to why I did."

"Business ties will never outweigh your family ties, Christy. They love you more than you can imagine," David assured her. "Everything will be fine."

"Promise?" She asked softly, feeling like a small child in that moment of need. She looked up at him, searching his face intently for assurances.

"I promise," He whispered, pressing his lips to her nose.

She yawned then, attempting to stifle it with her hand. He chuckled softly.

"Did you sleep last night?" He asked.

"Not much. I sleep much better when you're around."

"Do you think you could sleep now if you tried?"

"Maybe…"

"Then go to sleep. I'll wake you up if they get here before you're awake."

She nodded, resting her head in the crook of his neck. Slowly she drifted off in the comfort of his arms. When she was asleep, Neil stood and made his way over to them. He felt her cheek for a fever.

"What's wrong?" David asked in alarm.

"I'm concerned about her. It sounds as though she isn't sleeping or eating as she should and she doesn't quite seem herself."

"I know that she's just extremely nervous about her parent's arriving," David said.

"That may be it, but I want to keep an eye on her to be sure. I don't want her getting too weak or too excited about anything. It could cause complications or early labor. We need to try to keep her environment as calm as possible for the next few months," Neil told him.

David nodded.

"I could take over classes until Christmas," Margaret suggested.

Neil turned to her with an equal amount of concern. "I'm not sure that is a good idea either. Your health…"

"My health is perfectly fine," She told him. "I'll offer it to Christy tonight, but I know she won't think it's necessary."

"Well, we'll just have to convince her," Neil said. "If we tell her that the baby is at risk, maybe she'll listen."

Alice came into the room then.

"Hello, Mother," Margaret greeted her.

"Hello, darling," Alice smiled at her. "Neil, did thee finish placing those orders?"

"Yes, they are right here," Neil picked up the stack of papers.

"Wonderful. Ruby Mae and I just finished inventory of the other mission supplies. Dan will take the orders to the station when he leaves tomorrow to go home for Christmas."

"Thank you, Alice," Neil nodded.

Alice noticed Christy asleep on David's lap. "Is Christy all right?"

Neil proceeded to tell Alice of his concerns over Christy.

"Once all of this excitement with Christy's parents has passed, these concerns will ease," Alice assured all of them.

"It's getting to that point that worries me. Her mother is not exactly an easy person to deal with."

"No, but Christy's health will be Julia's main concern as well."

Barely half an hour later, Ruby Mae came in from the chicken coop loudly announcing that she could see the Huddleston's coming over the ridge. David eased Christy awake and she frowned from being awoken.

"Your parents are here, Christy," David told her, helping her to her feet.

She swayed slightly and David held tightly to her arm to keep her standing.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine," She told him. "Do I look alright?"

"Lovely as always," He told her, tucking a stray piece of hair back into her bun. "Everything is going to be fine."

She held his hand tightly as they all went to the door to greet her parents. Alice and Ruby Mae were the first to greet Julia and William when they walked in the door, and then Neil introduced them to Margaret. David and Christy stood in the back.

"Where's my girlie?" William asked, his soft eyes eagerly seeking her out.

"I'm here, Daddy," She said, her voice shaking as she stepped in front of David and he placed his hands on her shoulders in support.

William and Julia's jaws dropped as their eyes drifted over their daughter.

"Oh my God," Julia breathed out, her hand going to her lips in a gasp.

"Christina Rudd Huddleston," William's voice was harsh and stern.

"Let me explain," Christy begged. "It's not what you think, I promise."

"Well I have no idea how in the world you plan to explain this one," Julia scolded. "Unmarried and in the family way. Christy… I am so ashamed of you."

"No, Mother, please," Christy's voice shook and tears sprang forward.

"David, I want to see you outside," William demanded.

"Mr. and Mrs. Huddleston, please calm down and allow Christy to explain," Alice stepped forward.

"There is not an explanation that will ever be suitable enough," William cut her off. "Christy, go pack your things immediately."

"William," Neil stepped forward, "Christy is too far along to be traveling."

"I must ask that you mind your own business, Doctor," William told him. "David, outside please…"

"David don't," Christy clung to his arm.

"It's all right. We'll get this all straightened out," He told her, pressing his lips to her forehead and then stepping out onto the porch.

"Christy, go pack your things at once."

"No," Christy argued. "I will not."

"Do not make me drag you up there, young lady."

"Let's go, Christy," Margaret stepped toward her and wrapped an arm around her waist to lead her up the stairs.

Sobs wracked Christy's body as they disappeared up the stairs. Neil stepped outside to find David receiving the lecture of a lifetime, and by the looks of his bloodied nose, he had already been at the receiving end of a punch.

"The thought that you would dare to touch my daughter after promising me to respect and love her is the most repulsive thought I've ever had. I trusted you with her, David. I left her in your care and you have disrespected me in the worst possible way."

"Sir, you have misunderstood. I love your daughter with my whole heart," David told him, touching his lip with a grimace.

"And this is how you prove it? By impregnating her?"

"I didn't, Sir. I have not touched her in any inappropriate way. I do not intend to until our wedding night."

"Then how in the world do you explain that baby?" William demanded, his face red with anger.

"It's not my baby, Sir," David said.

"Oh, and whose is it then?" William asked sarcastically.

"Maybe I can explain," Neil said, alerting them of his presence.

William turned on him faster than he expected. "You?"

"Yes, I believe I can provide some clarity if we all just calm down."

"I am shocked that you did not call to tell me of Christy's pregnancy, Doctor," William said. "You promised to call me if anything came up that I needed to know of."

"I am inclined to respect the wishes of Christy who is my very dear friend and also my patient. It was not my place."

"I refuse to believe that that child is anyone but yours, David. You are marrying her and from what I have seen, are very comfortable with her. All signs point to you, and I am so very disappointed in you both. I will take her and Julia home at once and she will not return."

"William, please…" David begged. "You must hear me out…"

"It's Mr. Huddleston to you, and I will do nothing of the sort. You have disrespected me and my family in every possible way and nothing you say will undo that damage," William barked, turning on his heel to go back inside. They could hear him yelling up the stairs from outside. "Christy! Hurry down here and let's go."

David sighed and stood. "Neil, we have to do something. We can't let them take her."

"They won't," Neil told him. "Let me see that nose."

Neil tilted David's head back, inspecting him.

"It doesn't appear to be broken."

"It doesn't matter," David grumbled, standing and moving inside.

He dared to step past William and Julia and up the stairs. He had just reached the landing when Christy opened her bedroom door and came out. Her face was drenched with tears and she fell into his arms when she saw him, Margaret standing in the bedroom door behind him.

"Shh…" David soothed. "Everything is going to be fine."

"David, don't let this happen," Christy begged. "I can't do this."

"You're not going anywhere. I'm not going to let them take you."

"Christy, let's go," William called from the bottom of the stairs.

"David, please," Christy cried.

He took her face in his hands, holding it back so he could look at her. "I love you. I always have and always will. I'm not going to let them take you away from me. You're going to stay with me."

"Christina!" William shouted.

She was crying harder than she had in a long time, and that combined with her lack of food and sleep sent her world spinning. She leaned heavily into him and he held her tightly. She felt her knees giving out and David scooped her up in his arms as she passed out.

"Neil!" David called in panic.

Neil took the stairs two at a time as David carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. Margaret immediately prepared a cool cloth in the wash basin in Christy's room and placed it on Christy's forehead. Neil took her pulse.

"Margaret, can you bring me my bag please?" Neil asked.

She left the room just as William and Julia entered with Alice.

"This is exactly what I was afraid of happening," Neil grumbled.

"What's wrong with her?" Julia asked.

"Your eventful arrival caused too much stress on her and the baby," Neil snapped, not bothering to hide his disgust with their reaction.

"Well, surely you didn't expect us to be happy about this baby," Julia retorted.

David's head sprung up then and he stood. "No, but I did expect you to hold some respect for Christy and to trust her. Christy and I have done absolutely nothing wrong, but you have. You have wounded her more than you can possibly understand. Christy was raped by Mr. Stone when he was here. She was showing him around the Cove when he drug her into a cave and raped her. I love your daughter and have promised to love her for the rest of my life, as well as this baby. I am going to marry her in a few weeks and I am going to raise this baby as my own. That is the truth, and it's time you heard it loud and clear. Of all the people in this Cove who have accused us of premarital relations, we expected at least you to believe us. Apparently we were wrong. I am now going to ask you both to go downstairs and we will let you know how she is."

David returned to Christy's side as Julia began to sob.

"I'm sorry, David…" William said softly.

When he received no response, they turned and left. Margaret returned with Neil's medical bag and Alice followed Julia and William downstairs to help further clarify what was going on with their daughter.

"Well done, Grantland," Neil said, his hand patting David on the shoulder. "I couldn't have done it better myself."

David released a breath of air. "I shouldn't have spoken to them that way."

"Oh, I think God will understand," Margaret told him.

"How is she?" David asked, watching as Neil listened to Christy's heartbeat and then the baby's heartbeat.

"I think she will be fine. The baby doesn't seem to be in distress, but we'll have to keep an eye on her. I want to let her sleep for a while. She'll stay calm that way."

David nodded. "I'll stay with her."

Neil closed his bag and then he and Margaret left the room. David turned back to Christy when they were alone.

"Christy…if you only knew what I would do for you," David whispered. "Nothing will ever tear us apart. I promise you, Christy. I promise."

**I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review!**


	17. In His Hands

"I was thinking that perhaps in the summer you and David can come home and visit. Your grandmother is dying to see you. You know she'll never be able to come visit here," Julia said softly as she sifted through a pile of linens that had been brought from home as one of Christy and David's wedding gifts.

Christy did not respond as she sat on the edge of her bed and stared out the balcony door window panes. A thin blanket of snow rested on the ground and the world was cold and peaceful outside. She could see the schoolhouse from here, smoke rising from the chimney and curling toward the gray sky above. Inside, Margaret was teaching a room full of children, and Christy wanted to be there with them. Or with David and Alice who were visiting Raven Gap. Or even with Neil, who was out making his rounds in the cove. Or with her father, who was reading downstairs…anywhere but here with her overbearing mother, her whimsical plans, and constant avoidance of the elephant in the room.

Julia had spent the Saturday evening after Christy had awoken, trying to get close to her daughter. David and Neil had kept the woman at a distance to avoid stressing Christy. William had retreated to a quiet state of contemplation, hardly speaking at all. He just watched his daughter, and the events that surrounded her, taking it all in. On Sunday, after church, Julia had begun acting as though the events the day before had never happened, much to Christy's annoyance and disappointment. Her parents had hurt her deeply, and then dismissed it as though they had done nothing wrong. Her father said little to nothing, and Julia said too much but never enough. Christy could barely take another minute of it.

"Christy, are you listening to anything I'm saying? I brought my wedding dress, thinking you could wear it for your wedding like we always planned. Let me go pull it out of my trunk and you can try it on."

Christy stood and moved toward the dresser, looking at herself in the mirror. "I don't think it will fit, Mother."

Her mother froze at the door and dropped her hands to her side. Slowly she turned back toward her.

"Oh," Julia nodded. "Yes."

Christy watched her mother's eyes drift over her body and rest on Christy's expanded abdomen. She forced a smile and Christy's hand moved to cover her belly.

"Why don't you just say it?" Christy asked.

"Say what, darling?" Julia asked, looking up at her daughter's face in the mirror.

"That you're disappointed…that you don't want this grandchild."

Julia's eyes widened in horror. "I will not say something that I do not mean."

"Mother, you haven't said a word about the baby since I woke up on Saturday night. You're trying to cover it up, even forget, because it is a disgrace to our family. And I wish you'd just say it because I know you're thinking it."

"Christina…" Julia moved toward her daughter, a hand reaching for her daughter's arm.

"Do not touch me," Christy moved away from her.

"No, Christy do not act like this. You have to try to understand. You have months to process this and get used to the idea. Your father and I had it thrown into our faces unexpectedly and I have to say, quite unfairly. You had months to write us…and you refused."

"I was afraid you would do exactly what you did on Saturday."

"Well, we would have been shocked and upset to be certain. But you could have explained, Christy. We would have believed you. Darling…. We love you. We are your parents and we have raised you to be honest and trustworthy, and we would have believed you."

"But Mr. Stone has close business ties with father, and you made excuses for him when I wrote to you about the logging. You told me I was being unreasonable for cutting him off. You took his side."

Julia sat on the bed again, her hands in her lap.

"Yes, you are right. We did."

"You have to realize, Mother, that after what I had been through with him, getting that letter from you hurt me more than I will ever be able to describe. I decided right then and there that I had to keep this baby a secret from you for as long as possible."

Silence hung in the air.

"Your father is going to press charges the moment we are home again."

"Oh, no!" Christy exclaimed rushing toward her mother. "Please, he can't."

"And why not?" Julia demanded. "Heavens, Christy, you aren't making any sense."

"If you press charges, he will find out about the baby. David and I don't ever want him to know that this is his child. As far as this baby and our other children are concerned, this baby is David's. Do you understand?"

Julia sighed. "Well then what do you want us to do, Christy?"

"Apologize!" Christy demanded, tears springing forward. "Tell me that you love me, that you support me, and that you'll love this baby."

"Of course we do. Oh, Christina Rudd Huddleston, don't you ever doubt that. Our idea of what is best may be different than your idea, but that doesn't mean that we don't love you. You are our daughter. You are everything to us. You and your sister always were, and always have been our entire world. If, this the way you want to live your life, then we will stand behind you, and David, the entire way. I promise, Christy, and I love you. I'm sorry that we hurt you."

"I'm sorry that I tried to keep so much of my life hidden from you these past few months. I've just been so afraid. I've realized how much of my life is out of my control, and I'm frightened."

Julia drew her daughter close. "The Lord holds us all, Christy. Your life has always been out of your hands, because you give it to God. We are so proud of you for that. The Lord holds you in His hands."

* * *

><p>"United States Mail!" Ben Pentland's voice echoed throughout the mission yard and floated toward Christy, Julia and Fairlight, who were out scooping up snow into bowls.<p>

"Hello, Mr. Pentland!" Christy greeted with a warm smile.

"Afternoon, Miss Christy. What are ya'll doin'?"

"Fairlight is showing us how to make ice cream with snow," Julia explained, stepping forward and extending her hand toward the mail man.

He shook it, smiling brightly. "Sounds like a right good time, Mrs. Huddleston."

"Won't you stay, Mr. Pentland?" Julia asked.

"Naw, I got a heap a letters to get delivered. Speaking of which, I've got one here for the Reverend. Would you mind giving it to him, Christy?"

"Of course not," Christy smiled as Ben handed her the envelope.

"Do you have anything in that sack for us?" Fairlight asked. She had been waiting on a payment from Asheville for a quilt that she sold.

"Fairlight, you know you just get prettier every time I see ya?"

"I'll take that as a no," Fairlight forced a smile. "Christmas ain't gonna be much a Christmas this year."

"You've still got a couple of weeks of waiting here, Fairlight. It'll come," Ben assured her. "Well, I've got places to be while there's still daylight. Afternoon, Ladies."

"Goodbye, Mr. Pentland," Christy waved. When he was gone, Christy turned toward Fairlight and her mother. "I'm going to take this to David. I'll be back."

She made her way to the barn, her feet treading carefully over the snow. She placed a hand under her belly, feeling the baby move in response. She pulled open the door and stepped inside to find David brushing Prince.

"David?"

He looked up when he heard her and smiled brightly. "Hello, love. What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Mr. Pentland was just here. I brought you this," She held the envelope up so that he could see it.

He set down the brush and made his way toward her. He pressed his lips to hers and then reached for the letter.

"It's from Mother," David smiled. "She must have finally gotten my letter about the wedding and baby."

Christy waited in nervous curiosity as he opened it and skimmed over its contents. She watched his face carefully.

"She's coming for the wedding," David told her. "She'll be here next week, on the twelfth."

"Well, the more the merrier I suppose," Christy said. "We still have an open bedroom she can move to."

David nodded and kept reading. "She's happy about the baby, Christy, and she can't wait to meet you."

Christy smiled and David pulled her close. "She is absolutely going to love you."

"I hope so. She's stuck with me, at this point."

David grinned. "Yes, she is, and I'm so glad. I love you."

"I love you, David," Christy smiled, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest.

"I'm glad everything is sorted out with your parents," David commented.

"Me too," She nodded.

"Guess what?" He whispered.

"What?"

"We're getting married in twenty days."

Christy giggled. "Yes, we are."

He kissed her forehead. "I can't wait."

Christy's smile faded and she pulled back. "David, there's something I've been wondering about."

"Alright…what is it?"

"Are you…will you…"

"What, darling? Just ask me."

"Are you really going to want me when I look like this?" She turned to the side to show off her large belly.

"I've always wanted you, Christy," David told her with a soft frown.

"I mean…I mean in the way married couples…intercourse, David," She finally finished with an embarrassed blush.

"So do I."

She looked up at him. "Oh….oh."

He smiled. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

"Not like this, I'm not."

"Oh, but you are, Christy."

"My face is swollen."

"Very little, and absolutely glowing."

"I haven't seen my toes in weeks."

"Well, I can see them. Does that count?"

Christy giggled and shook her head. "No."

He placed his hands on either side of her abdomen where her coat no longer could reach. "Our baby is growing in here, Christy, and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I cannot wait to have you. All of you."

Christy smiled and closed her eyes as David kissed her passionately on the lips.

"Thank you, David," Christy whispered. "Thank you for making me feel like I'm beautiful even when I find it hard to believe."

"You're always going to be beautiful to me. Even when your hair is silver."

"Are you finished in here?"

"Yes."

"Then come learn how to make snow cream with us," Christy reached for his hand and pulled him toward the door.

"What in the world is snow cream?" He asked, closing the barn door behind them.

"Ice cream made of snow. It's the only way they can ever have ice cream in the Cove. Fairlight is teaching us, and if we learn it, maybe we can make it with our children."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan," David grinned, looping an arm around her waist to help her over the uneven ground and slippery snow. "And then, if you want, I'll walk you over to the schoolhouse so you help Margaret finish up the lessons for the day."

"Oh would you?" Christy asked in excitement. "That would make this a perfect day."


	18. Sharing Secrets

**I'm sorry for the delay! I've posted two chapters today to make up for it. Make sure to read both 17 and 18 and then please leave a review! Thanks!**

Mrs. Elizabeth Grantland was more perfect than Christy could have ever imagined. She was a true woman of God, and Christy had no doubt that David's faith originated from his family. The woman was much older than Christy had expected. David was her youngest. She had been thirty-four when she had him. He and Ida had been two of five children born to the Grantland family, and the only two who had lived past the age of six. Now, the fifty-eight year old woman was a widow living alone on the east coast, worlds apart from both of her children. She owned a city-home, had a loyal staff whom she treated like family and worked equally alongside of, and was involved with many women's groups. Despite her current financial position, she did not shy away from work or from the impoverished cove. The moment she arrived, it had appeared that she had lived in the cove all of her life. She was at ease anywhere she went, and had the ability to put everyone else in her presence at ease as well. Christy without a doubt loved the woman who would be her mother in law.

"Christy, darling, why don't you have a seat?" Julia asked her daughter for seemingly the hundredth time.

Christy gave in with a sigh, settling herself into the chair in the kitchen. "I just hate for everyone else to have to do all of the work. This is my wedding."

"Which is exactly why you should be letting everyone else do the work," Julia told her.

Christy sighed once more, Alice catching her eye and sending her an encouraging smile.

"Well, I can't just sit by and watch. I'll go absolutely crazy."

Margaret handed her a pair of scissors along with the paper she had been shaping into rings and gluing together to make streamers. "Here, at least keep your hands busy, Christy."

"Thank you," Christy smiled at her friend.

Elizabeth appeared, unwrapping something that was tied up in brown paper. "I finally found it in all of my trunks, Christy. This is the angel I was telling you about. I've been saving it for David's wife since he was two. It should be a lovely topper for the Christmas tree."

Christy reached for it in interest. "Oh, it's beautiful!"

The blond headed angel was wearing a crisp white fabric dress and had large, beautiful wings. Her face was painted a beautiful pale color, with perfectly pink cheeks and bright blue eyes.

"It looks much like you, dear," Elizabeth said, looking Christy over. "I always imagined it would."

Christy looked up at David's mother with tears in her eyes and tightly clasped the older woman's hands. "Thank you, so much. It will be on our tree every year. And one day, I'll give it to my daughter in law."

"That would be lovely," Elizabeth whispered, squeezing Christy's hand.

"Hello, ladies," David grinned as he entered the room, Neil right behind him.

"Did you get the tree?" Ruby Mae asked, bounding in from the pantry where she had been searching diligently for ingredients.

"We did," David nodded.

"And, may I add, it is quite perfect," Neil said proudly, reaching for one of the cookies Alice was decorating with powdered sugar. Alice let him have one and then smacked his hand away when he reached for another. He grinned at her.

"It's on the porch," David announced, and all of the women moved to look at it. David looked at Christy, helping her to her feet.

"I see Mother gave it to you," David grinned.

Christy nodded, lovingly fingering the wings on the angel in her hand. "It's one of the best gifts I've ever gotten, because it means so much."

David kissed her forehead. "She loves you very much, Christy. And so do I."

They held hands tightly as they went to join the group on the porch.

"It's certainly large," Alice was saying. "It will take up a good portion of the living room. I certainly hope there will be room for everyone."

"Now, Alice, you are of little faith" Neil teased her, his arm around Margaret's waist. "David and I made sure that the measurements would fit."

She looked doubtful.

"If it doesn't fit, Margaret will take the blame. She measured the corner of the living room."

"Neil MacNeil," Margaret scolded. "Be careful where you put your feet, darling. They're getting dangerously close to your mouth."

He smirked down at her.

"Where's William?" Julia asked.

"Right here," William's voice sounded behind them.

They all turned to see him standing there with pieces of lumber, a hammer and some nails.

"We have to build a base for that tree," He explained.

"I think the tree is quite lovely," Elizabeth announced. "I may send you fine gentlemen to get another one for the church."

"The church?" Julia asked.

"Yes, it would make a lovely backdrop for the wedding, don't you think?"

"What a marvelous idea!" Christy grinned.

"Well, if Christy wants a tree for our wedding, a tree she shall have," David agreed. "After I have a cup of coffee."

Neil and William agreed, and they all returned to the warmth of the indoors. Christy loved having the house full of the people she held closest to her heart. Hearing the chatter, laughter, and seeing the smiles, filled her heart with joy. Everyone seemed to be getting along seamlessly, including Margaret and Julia, two personalities Christy had expected to clash. Neil and Margaret seemed to have their own source of undisclosed joy, which Christy noticed with great curiosity.

Once the men were gone again to find another perfect tree, Fairlight asked Christy to retrieve her veil from her room so that she could finished the embroidery on the bottom. Christy nodded and moved up the stairs. As she passed Neil and Margaret's room, she heard coughing and gagging coming from behind the closed door. She paused, realizing with great pain that Margaret must be sick again. She immediately wanted to help her newest friend, and she knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Margaret gasped out.

"It's Christy. Are you alright?"

"Come in."

Christy entered the room and found Margaret laying on her back on the bed, her face pale.

"Margaret, are you alright?"

"Just perfect," Margaret told her.

"I heard you getting sick. Does Neil know?"

"Yes," Margaret told her.

"Is it bad?"

"It was worse the first time."

"Are you going to have to leave for treatment again?"

"No," Margaret sat up, slowly, a smile on her face. "It's not tuberculosis, Christy. I'm pregnant."

"Oh!" Christy gasped, and then laughed. "Thank goodness!"

Margaret nodded and Christy moved toward her.

"Why haven't you told anyone?"

"Because we're afraid I might miscarry again…like last time."

"You won't," Christy assured her. "Everything is different now."

"Yes, it is. But I also have a much weaker body this time. Neil is very concerned."

"How far along are you?"

"About ten weeks. It's very special…because we think it happened our first time together again."

Christy nodded in understanding. "Oh, Margaret. I'm so happy for you. God is blessing your marriage with a baby. It's wonderful."

Margaret allowed Christy to hug her.

"You musn't tell anyone. It's just our secret, okay?"

"Alright…but can I tell David? We've agreed to stop keeping things from each other, and I really want to keep that promise."

"That's fine. But no one else. This is your time, Christy. We can tell everyone after the wedding, but you're first, alright?"

Christy nodded and then giggled again and gave her friend a squeeze.


	19. Clothed with Joy

**This is the last chapter before the wedding! I will post the wedding chapter on Christmas Eve, since David and Christy are having a Christmas Eve wedding.**

**Here are some_ IMPORTANT_ notes about this chapter:**

**1) If you remember, at the very end of _Ch. 13: Where I Belong_, Margaret had an idea strike her that she planned to speak to Neil about. You will see this idea/project come to light in this chapter.**

**2) Alice and Christy discuss Proverbs 31 in this chapter. I encourage you to _READ IT BEFORE_ you read this. It's a quick read; only 31 verses, but it adds so much depth and understanding to the discussion Christy and Alice will have in the following scene.**

**3) Lastly, I'm sure all of you are dying for more Margaret and Neil scenes. While there are tidbits of them in this chapter, most of you will still want more. I promise to give you more Neil and Margaret after we dive into the wedding. Promise.**

**p.s. I don't own these characters. Except for David's mother... sort of.**

**Read and review, lovely readers. I love you all very much. Thank you.**

* * *

><p>Mid-morning on December twenty-third, David found Christy and Alice huddled close together over Alice's Bible as they sat at the kitchen table. They were talking in hushed tones, and David watched Christy's face as she seemed to soak up every word that Alice was saying. Alice had been leading them both in pre-marital counseling since they had first announced their engagement. Yesterday, Alice and David had met and prayed together for his ability to be the husband God desired him to be. Today, Alice was meeting with Christy about the same premise. David smiled, joy in his heart at seeing Christy so willing to accept the role of his wife and best friend. He lifted his eyes to the heavens in thanksgiving and slipped quietly out the backdoor.<p>

"I've read Proverbs thirty-one every night for the past two-weeks, Miss Alice," Christy was saying. "The woman it describes…do you think I'm capable of being that woman?"

"No one ever completely fills those things, Christy," Alice told her.

"No…I suppose not. It's more of a goal."

Alice nodded with a smile. "And it is a goal that thee have been working toward since thee stepped foot in this Cove, Christy."

"I have?"

"Yes. Thee have helped raise up the children of Cutter Gap with strength and wisdom. Thee have instilled values and morals in them that they may not have otherwise learned."

"Oh, I think David does more of the moral teaching. I don't really do much in that regard."

"Christy, thee have been David's partner in that all along. The children learn not only from the words of their favorite teacher, but her actions as well. Thee have made plans for helping everyone here, and seen many of those plans through. Thee always finds a way to care for everyone. Christy, thy life is a great tool that God has worked through and He will continue to do so."

Christy sighed in doubt.

"Christy, do you want to know what I see when I look at thee? I see a woman who does not rest until everyone is fed and clothed. She does not give up or call anything a lost cause. She does not run from what is hard. She embraces truth and works through a kind heart. She has fought against man and nature to love others. She is strong beyond physical measure. She does not waste time on trivial things. She smiles and helps others to do the same. She has taught the people here about much more that numbers, letters, and hygiene. She has taught how to love and have hope in the future. She has faith that can move mountains. She has helped turn lives completely around. She has helped bring my daughter back to me. And she is loved beyond words."

Tears poured down Christy's face and welled up in Alice's eyes as well. Alice placed her fingers to Christy's cheeks.

"The moment I saw thee cartwheel across that schoolyard, I knew that something amazing was about to happen. Does thee remember what I told thee then?"

"To hold onto joy," Christy responded.

Alice nodded. "Not only have thee held onto joy, Miss Huddleston, but thee has given it to every person in this cove. That is the true virtue of the woman described in Proverbs thirty-one."

"Oh Miss Alice," Christy breathed out, flinging her arms around the older woman's neck. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>Margaret and Neil bounded into the dining room at lunch time with flushed faces and grins brighter than the shimmering snow outside.<p>

"We were beginning to worry about you," David said when he saw them.

"We didn't know where you had gone," Julia told them. "You both just disappeared."

"Sorry we are late," Neil apologized. "We were trying to finish taking care of some things."

"Well, I hope you don't mind that we started lunch without you," Elizabeth spoke up. "William and David were ready to eat us out of this house."

David and William laughed.

"It doesn't matter," Margaret assured them. "Christy, David, may we borrow you for a moment please?"

Christy and David looked at each other and then nodded.

"Christy, you haven't finished eating yet," Julia started.

"I'm sure she will return shortly," William assured her. "Let them go."

William winked at Neil and Margaret.

"What are you up to, William Huddleston?" Julia asked in suspicion.

Christy and David stood and were quickly handed coats and ushered out the door by Neil and Margaret.

"Where are we going?" Christy asked.

"To the schoolhouse," Neil told her.

"Whatever for?" Christy asked.

"Because the children have something to show their teacher," He explained with a grin at Margaret.

"The children?" Christy frowned. "They are on Christmas holiday."

"Christy, just come on," Margaret laughed. "Don't spoil our fun with so many questions."

Christy looked at David and giggled at the same bewildered expression on his face that matched her own. She reached for his hand and decided then and there to just relax and go with whatever was about to happen.

They reached the schoolhouse doors and came to a stop.

"Are you ready?" Margaret asked.

"I hope you aren't planning on scaring us and giving Christy a heart attack," David said. "I really would like to get married before this baby comes."

"On my honor as your friend and doctor, I promise that there will be no frightening Christy into labor today."

"Oh good," Christy smiled.

Margaret and Neil opened the doors and David and Christy both gasped in amazement. Freshly cut evergreen branches lined the edges of the aisle all the way to the front of the room. Sections of logs that were stood up right sat at the end of every pew among the branches, and on top of each log, a single candle burned. At the very front of the room, a giant Christmas tree stood as the backdrop. Candles nestled in among the branches also flickered with flame. The entire room glowed, and Christy felt tears well up in her eyes, blurring her vision, but it was not because of the beauty of it all, but because there, in front of the tree, stood all of her children. Their faces shown with smiles and tears, and Christy grinned back.

"Did all of you do this?" David asked, finding his voice first.

The children nodded and Christy looked at David, finding tears in his eyes as well.

"We wanted your wedding to be beautiful," Ruby Mae explained. "Doc and Mrs. MacNeill and Mr. Huddleston helped us."

"This is stunning," Christy told them. "Thank you so much."

"Ya don't have to say thanks, Miz Christy," Little Burl said. "We're wanting to thank ya."

Christy nodded and felt David squeeze her hand.

"We know that this hasn't been easy for ya," Zady Spencer started. "with the baby and all. And we all turned against both of ya, and it was wrong."

"Oh, children…" Christy sighed.

"We wanted to make it right," Rob Allen said. "We wanted to show you both that we're sorry for the way everything happened. Preacher and Miz Christy…you have both given so much to us, and we be beholden to ya."

"Miss Christy, what we are trying to say is that you might not be very excited about this baby because of what Mr. Stone did to you…to all of us. But we are going to love your baby and help you and Preacher with it and care for it just as much as you have loved and cared for all of us 'cuz we love you," Zady said with a smile. "Both of you deserve all the happiness a person can get."

Christy burst into tears, a smile brightening her face as she looked at all of the children as they crowded around them. Her eyes found David's over the students' heads and he smiled at her, tears in his eyes as he scooped little LouLou up in his arms and kissed her temple.

"I…I don't know how to thank you…" Christy sputtered, pressing her fingers to her lips.

Mountie stepped forward then, handing Christy a small pair of white baby booties. Christy let out an overwhelmed laugh, reaching out and running her hand across Mountie's cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Miss Christy," Mountie said softly.

"Merry Christmas, Mountie," Christy replied, and then looked to all of them. "Merry Christmas, Children."

"Merry Christmas!" The children responded in a flutter of noise.

In the doorway, Neil and Margaret stood, Neil's arm wrapped around her waist. He grinned at what they and the children had been able to accomplish, and looked at his wife. She was smiling, tears in her eyes, and Neil felt overwhelming and unconditional love sweep over him. He leaned toward her, pressing his lips to her temple. She smiled brightly and turned her lips toward his.

* * *

><p>After dinner that night, the entire group moved to the living room, excitement over the next day's events keeping the conversation going well beyond the dinner table. Christy felt nothing but pure excitement for the next day. Her dreams were all unfolding before her, and she soaked in the feeling with David by her side. The smiles never faded from either of their faces.<p>

"David, I have a surprise for you," Elizabeth announced as she joined the group around the fire in the living room after she had momentarily disappeared to her shared room with Ruby Mae.

David looked up from his seat next to Christy to see his mother extending a wrapped gift in his direction.

"Mother, it isn't even Christmas yet."

"No, but I think this will be handy before then," Elizabeth told him. "And it isn't new. You've seen it and held it many times before."

David frowned in curiosity and confusion, unwrapping the box and then prying the lid off of it. He paused as he saw a familiar piece of wood nestled amongst the straw protection in the box. A smile crept over his face and he reached in and pulled out a beautiful, polished violin.

"I didn't know you played the violin," Christy said.

"I haven't played since I came here," David said. "I pushed it to the back of my mind, but I've missed it. My father played this when I was growing up."

"Play something!" Ruby Mae begged.

"Oh, yes, David, please do," Julia agreed, clasping her hands together in excitement.

He looked up at Elizabeth and then stood and hugged her, the violin still safe in his grasp. "Thanks for bringing it, Mother. I know it wasn't easy."

"It was no problem at all," She told him. "I want your children to grow up to that sound like you and Ida did. It would have made your father very happy to see you with such an amazing woman like Christy and a family on the way. He would have been so proud."

He smiled, tears in his eyes and nodded, unable to speak. Christy felt tears sliding down her own face and she stood to wrap her arm around David's waist. He pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. "I wish he was here to see the wedding tomorrow."

"I think he can," Christy told him. "I believe that."

David nodded again and Christy squeezed his bicep, encouraging him to play something. He ran a loving hand over the strings, tuning them, and then tucked it under his chin. Soon the lovely notes of "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" filled the room. Christy sat down again, and looked on in awe as slowly everyone began to sing. Her eyes drifted over her parents, who were both lovingly watching the man who would be their son and raise their grandchildren. Their hands were tightly clasped, her father's arm around her mother's shoulders. Christy hoped and prayed that she and David would share a similar love and devotion for one another for the rest of their lives. Her eyes then moved to Ruby Mae, who was quickly becoming a woman, but still held childlike wonder on her face. A bright smile adorned her freckled face as she watched David play. Elizabeth sat beside Ruby Mae, running her hand through Ruby Mae's flaming red curls. Christy was so happy that she was able to be here, since she had been absent from Ida's hurried wedding. Alice sat closest to the fire, a smile on her lips as she too observed the scene before her. Her eyes, however, were resting peacefully on Neil and Margaret. Margaret sat on Neil's lap, her head resting on his chest and his arms firmly around her. It may not have been appropriate by most people's standards to be so openly affectionate, but for Neil and Margaret, it was a beautiful sight to behold. They had never been a couple to follow rules of propriety anyway. Alice was watching them with contentment, happiness and peace finally over every feature of her.

Christy's hand slid up to rest on top of her belly and the baby she loved so much. She smiled as the baby responded with a kick, and she sighed in contentment. Alice met Christy's eyes across the room, and they smiled at one another. They had found a true friendship with one another, and Christy could not be more thankful for her. So much had changed since that first moment she had laid eyes on Alice Henderson in Asheville, but Christy would never wish to change a thing.

The song ended with a beautiful final note, and applause filled the room. David looked down at Christy, surprised by all of the emotion on Christy's face. He grinned at her, and she smiled brightly. Her heart swelled with love and she pushed herself up to her feet, David quickly reaching out to assist her.

"David, may I speak with you outside for a moment?" Christy asked softly.

He nodded, put down the violin, and let her take his hand. They made it out to the porch before David questioned her.

"Christy, it's freezing out here. What do you-?"

She cut him off then, turning toward him and taking his face in her hands, before pressing her lips to his in a desperate, lovely, desire filled kiss. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist to draw her closer, responding eagerly to her kiss. They didn't draw apart until air became absolutely necessary. They were both breathless, their foreheads resting together.

"Christy…" He breathed out.

"Shh…" Christy shook her head. "David, don't say anything. Just listen."

He nodded, letting silence fall between them until she spoke again.

"I love you, David. Being your wife and your best friend is an honor I don't know if I am worthy of, but I love you. I love you with my whole being, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to be everything to you that you are to me."

He smiled, his voice soft as he spoke. "You already are, Christy. You have been everything to me since the moment you fell into my arms your first night here. You are a gift and a blessing, Christy Huddleston. I cannot wait to marry you tomorrow."


	20. Becoming One

**Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

"Oh, Christy!" Julia exclaimed, fingers flying to her mouth in amazement as Margaret finished pinning up Christy's hair. "You look absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you, Mama," Christy smiled. "Can I see myself yet?"

"Let us put your veil on," Margaret told her as she reached into the box from Asheville and pulled out the white veil. She lifted it up and fastened it into place in Christy's hair with pins and combs as the church bell rang outside. "There, absolutely perfect."

"Now can I look?" Christy asked in excitement.

Margaret and Julia each took one of Christy's arms and turned her around to face the mirror. Christy gasped in astonishment. Margaret and Julia had helped transform her into the bride she had always hoped she would be. They had all worked diligently to take parts of Julia's wedding gown and sew them into a beautiful wedding gown that Christy could wear. The sleeves and neckline were entirely made of lace, which lined the rest of the gown. A light blue ribbon that matched the color of her eyes, encircled her just below the breasts and tied in the back, leaving the rest of the gown to flow loosely over her expanding abdomen to the floor. The veil reached to the floor in the back.

"What do you think?" Margaret asked.

"I…oh thank you both so much. I let go of the idea of being a beautiful bride because of my pregnancy. You both have given that back to me. Thank you."

All three women smiled at each other and then a knock came at the door. Julia opened it to let Elizabeth in.

"Oh, how lovely you are!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I do believe we are going to have to peel David's jaw off the floor."

The women all laughed.

"How is he?" Christy asked in curiosity.

"Well, not anywhere near as lovely as you, but quite handsome I dare say," Elizabeth squeezed Christy's hands. "He's excited and wants nothing more than to come in here and see you to make sure you're doing alright."

Christy smiled.

"He was heading to the church with Alice. I came to see if you are about ready."

"I'm ready," Christy nodded.

Julia turned her toward her, her hands on Christy's arms.

"The moment you came into the world, I told your father that you were going to do great things. When you were growing up, I imagined a much different life for you that what you have now, but I have to admit that I couldn't have made better plans for you than God has done. I am so glad that you followed God and let Him lead you here. I know that you have done wonderful things here, and now you and David will continue to do so hand-in-hand for the rest of your lives. I love you, Christina. I hope you are truly happy."

"I am, Mother," Christy smiled. "I love you."

Julia lifted the front half of the veil over Christy's face and they opened the door. The group of women moved out into the hallway and down the stairs. William and Neil were waiting at the bottom for them. Both of them turned to face the women before them.

"Oh my beautiful girlie!" William exclaimed, rushing forward and pulling Christy into his arms. "Look at you. You're stunning."

Christy giggled. "Thanks, Daddy."

Neil and Margaret joined hands.

"You do look like a picture, Christy," Neil told her.

Christy turned to him with a smile. "Thank you both for helping David and I prepare for our wedding."

"It was our pleasure," Margaret assured her.

"Now let's take you to the church," William said, offering Christy his arm. "There's a young man there who cannot wait to see you."

Christy beamed and the entire group made their way toward the church, the bell still ringing out over the mountains. Everyone went inside except for William and Christy and the bell stopped ringing. Neil and Jeb were standing up with David at the altar, and Fairlight and Margaret were standing with Christy.

"This is a happy day for me, girlie, but also a hard one. I can't imagine parting with you for any man less worthy than David. I'm proud of you both, Christy darling. I love you so much."

"I love you, Daddy," Christy whispered.

The doors opened and Christy watched as all of her friends stood and turned toward her. Everyone in Cutter Gap was there to see their beloved teacher marry their beloved preacher, and all of their happy smiles stared back at Christy. She beamed as they began to sing Amazing Grace and she and William began their walk down the aisle. Christy's gaze found David's and he looked at her with the most loving looked she had ever seen. Tears poured down his face as he grinned at her, and she was overcome. She felt tears welling up in her own eyes, but held them back as each step brought her closer to the man she loved.

Candles flickered throughout the room and in the giant Christmas tree behind Miss Alice at the front of the room, but Christy's eyes rested only on David. At last he was beside her, and they smiled at each other. William squeezed Christy's hand which still rested in his as Alice began the ceremony and everyone remained standing.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and in the face of this congregation, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honorable estate, instituted by God himself, signifying to us the union that is between Christ and His church. Which holy estate Christ adorned with his presence and first miracle in Cana of Galilee and is commended in holy writ to be honorable by all men and therefore is not by any to be enterprised nor taken in hand unadvisedly, lightly or wontedly, but reverently, discreetly, soberly and in the fear of God, considering the causes for which matrimony was ordained. First, it was ordained for the increase of mankind according to the will of God, that children may be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord and to the praise of his holy name. Secondly, it was ordained in order that the natural instincts and affections implanted by God should be hallowed and directed aright, that those who are called of God to this holiest estate should continue there in purest of living. Thirdly, it was ordained for the mutual society, help, and comfort that the one ought to have of the other both in prosperity and adversity into which holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. Therefore, if any man can show any just cause why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak or else here after forever hold his peace."

Silence filled the room as Alice paused for a few seconds, and then she smiled down at the couple and William.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" Alice continued.

"I, William Arthur Huddleston, her father, do," William said, kissing Christy on the cheek and then placing her hand firmly in David's grasp. He then took his spot next to Julia and Ruby Mae on the front row, and everyone took their seats.

"David James Phillip Grantland, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together according to God's law in the holy estate of matrimony? Will thou love her, comfort her, honor her, and keep her in sickness and in health; forsaking all others keep you only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

David smiled. "I do."

"Christina Rudd Huddleston, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together according to God's law in the holy estate of matrimony? Will thou love him, comfort him, honor him, and keep him in sickness and in health; forsaking all others keep you only unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

Christy nodded, squeezing David's hand. "I do."

Alice looked out over the congregation. "David and Christy have memorized their vows and will now make their vows to each other."

David turned completely toward Christy and began, a reverent smile on his face. "I, David James Philip, take you, Christina Rudd, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish forever, according to God s Holy Ordinance, and thereto I give thee my pledge."

Christy finally let a couple of tears fall, her smile bright and her heart beating in rapid excitement. "I, Christina Rudd, take you, David James Philip, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish forever, according to God's Holy Ordinance, and thereto I give thee my pledge."

Alice grinned and continued. "The marriage ring seals the vows of marriage and represents the promise of eternal and everlasting love. Let us pray."

Everyone bowed their heads. "Lord, bless this ring, and grant that those who give it, and those who wear it, will remain faithful to each other and abide in Thy peace and favor and live together in love until their lives end. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."

Amen's echoed throughout the room and then Neil handed David the ring for Christy's finger.

"With this ring, I thee wed," David said, sliding the ring onto her finger and then placing a kiss on her ring finger. She giggled at the romantic surprise, looking down at the gold ring.

Margaret then reached forward with David's ring and Christy followed David's example.

"With his ring, I thee wed," Christy said softly. After she slid the ring over his knuckle, she also kissed his finger. When she looked back up at him, he was laughing softly in admiration.

Alice continued, "Those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Forasmuch as David and Christy have consented together in Holy Wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company of witnesses, and there to have given their pledge, each to the other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving a ring, and by joining hands; by the power vested in me by the State of Tennessee, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You many now kiss your bride."

David beamed, lifted Christy's veil over her head, and took her in his arms. He kissed her, slowly at first, and once she responded, the kiss turned passionate until a few whistles and chuckles rang out through the room. David and Christy then pulled apart, blushes and grins covering both of their faces.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present to you for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. David Grantland," Alice's voice rang out as David and Christy joined hands, and turned toward the people of Cutter Gap. Applause and cheers rang out through the church. Christy looked up at him and then they made their way up the aisle and out of the church.

Close to midnight, when the reception party was still going on, but beginning to die down, David found Christy standing out on the porch, a lace shawl wrapped around her shoulders. The crisp night air was settling in as David placed a kiss to her forehead. "How are you tonight, Mrs. Grantland?"

"Perfect," Christy breathed out, "Absolutely perfect."

"Are you happy with how the day turned out?" He asked.

"Yes! It was everything I'd ever dreamed it would be. No, actually, it was more. It was better. It was a gift from God."

David smiled. "Yes, it definitely was. Do you know what my favorite part of all of it was?"

"What?"

"Standing before God in that church and promising myself to you, and knowing that there was no other way I'd want to spend the rest of my life than being your husband. I'm yours, Christy. You're mine. We're together. Forever."

Christy wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him, all of the joy and love in the world written across her face. "Oh, is this all a dream? Are you really here with me? Is it really possible to be this happy?"

David smiled, placing kisses all over her face. "It's real, Christy. And it's perfect."

Inside, they could hear a countdown beginning to take place. "Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" Cheers rang out, and David and Christy laughed softly.

"Merry Christmas, darling," David whispered.

Christy brought his lips down to hers. "Merry Christmas."

"Are you ready to go upstairs?"

"Yes," Christy nodded, a blush rising up to her cheeks.

David reached for her hand, squeezing it and then leading her inside. Just before Christy stepped inside, she looked over her shoulder and out over the star filled sky and moonlit mountains, and her heart whispered a silent prayer of thanks, love, and joy.


End file.
